Data shows where Liverpool and Arne Slot fall below average among Premier League teams

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rousing the Kop or go back to LFC Live.

Liverpool need to take some drastic action to improve performances in the Premier League.The Reds have been on a nightmare run the likes of which have not been seen for well over a decade, and with the added context that the team were league champions just five months ago.When Arne Slot came in and delivered the top-flight trophy, it seemed as though the side would be favourites to retain it, but just a few months into this new season and four straight losses, hope is dwindling.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. In these most recent defeats, starting at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace, Liverpool have been caught out by set-piece routines, long throw-ins, and balls over the top of their defence.It has been clear in each defeat that these issues, along with defensive fragilities, have caused this side to underperform so far, given the quality already in the squad and the stars they invested in over the summer.Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty ImagesLiverpool are third last in the average time taken before a throw-inWhen facing their fourth defeat against Brentford, those problems with defending against that type of football were even more apparent, especially with the use of the long throw from Keith Andrews’ side in their 3-2 victory.These tactics have been bemoaned by Slot because teams keep using them against him, but he has yet to find a credible answer to that style of play to give his side a chance of winning.READ MORE: Liverpool told why Arsenal have been so much better than them this season, and it’s so trueOne thing about the throw-ins that have become the fashion of clubs in the Premier League this season is the time taken before actually projecting the ball into the penalty box.It may have been frustrating for the Reds to come up against a team that had an average time of 55.8 seconds for each chance; however, it is a trend that Liverpool are not taking up themselves.So far this league season, Liverpool’s average time taken before a throw-in (14.5 seconds) is the third shortest in the league, with the Bees having the highest (25 seconds).Brentford have spent more than a combined 70 minutes preparing for throw-ins during matches this season, while more than 10 minutes have been lost to the tactic in two of Tottenham's games so far.The return of the long throw adds a new threat, theatre and goals.

But it also… pic.twitter.com/GAjYbJGFpy— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 29, 2025 View Tweet Teams such as Sunderland (22.7 seconds) and Tottenham Hotspur (22.5 seconds) have a higher time and are clearly enjoying some good results this season.It shows how far the Reds are lagging behind this trend as they sit near Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have an average of 12.9 seconds.Arne Slot needs to adopt this trendIt is clear then that this Slot side would benefit from trying to slow the game down, waste seconds and set up set-piece opportunities from throw-ins in a more methodical way.Of course, it may not be the most interesting area to improve, nor is it the most important, but it seems that this is an approach which fosters success, so it would be ridiculous not to increase the timings.This is the time to experiment a little with some tweaks that could improve Liverpool’s chances, and Slot may need to implement some as soon as possible before results worsen.