Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool must fix set-piece weakness

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has echoed head coach Arne Slot’s concerns over Liverpool’s vulnerability at set-pieces, admitting the Reds must improve after conceding once again from a dead-ball situation in Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Wolves.

Liverpool looked in full control after first-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz, but the contest was made unnecessarily tense when Wolves pulled a goal back shortly after the restart.

The warning signs arrived from a corner, as Santiago Bueno reacted quickest to a loose second ball after Ibrahima Konaté was outmuscled in the initial aerial duel. It was another example of a recurring issue that Slot has repeatedly highlighted this season.

While the Dutch coach was satisfied with the three points, he has previously stressed the need to improve Liverpool’s goal difference — particularly when defending and attacking set-pieces.

Van Dijk made it clear after the match that the concern is shared inside the dressing room.

“There have been plenty of games when we have defended set-pieces very well,” Van Dijk said. “But the fact is, we’ve conceded too many set-piece goals and we don’t score enough.”

The Liverpool skipper pointed to lapses after the first contact as the biggest problem, rather than initial positioning.

“It’s about repetition, training, analysing… it’s something we have to improve,” he explained. “I’d say at least 75 per cent of the time, or even more, it’s not even about the first contact — it’s the second phase that is the killer.”

Asked whether the issue was psychological, Van Dijk was dismissive.

“Is it a mental thing? I hope not. If that’s in your head then it’s an issue. Personally, it’s not in my head. We’ve defended so many set-pieces very well.

“But the fact is we’ve conceded too many goals like that and it hurts. We have to improve that. Training is the only way to get better at it.”

Wolves’ physical presence, particularly through Tolu Arokodare, caused Liverpool problems throughout the match. Van Dijk admitted that a more clinical opponent might have punished them further.

“Each and every one of us has to take responsibility,” he said. “It’s always going to be on the players.

“We can speak about how we defend and how we attack, but at the end of the day it’s about what the players put in. It’s not been good enough. We all realise that.”

Despite the criticism, Van Dijk stressed that the squad are actively working to correct the issue, even if solutions are not immediate.

“We need to turn it around. That’s why we work on it almost every training session,” he added. “We will analyse and speak about it. I know it sounds easy, but it’s a difficult thing to do. It’s a process and we have to keep trying.”

Having followed Liverpool closely under Slot, the issue is not effort but consistency. The challenge now is ensuring that dominant performances are not undermined by moments from dead-ball situations — especially as margins tighten at the top of the table.

Can Liverpool finally tighten up at set-pieces — or will dead-ball moments continue to threaten otherwise dominant performances?