Set pieces are now a free-for-all - This is why they are so important for Liverpool

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Premier League corner routines resemble the wild west and change needs to come from the officialsThe sight of Joe Gomez launching long throw-ins into the box in the dying minutes of Liverpool's eventual 1-0 victory away at Nottingham Forest was as refreshing as it was indicative of the state of the game - both this individual match, a turgid display that Liverpool did not deserve to win; and the English game at large.The 2025/26 Premier League season has seen fans and pundits alike lament the increasing importance of set pieces and physicality over technical ingenuity, with accusations thrown on what feels like a weekly basis that the English top flight has become boring.No longer the sole remit of bottom-half strugglers, league leaders Arsenal have led the charge towards a more conservative approach, with 18 of their 56 league goals this season coming from set pieces (excluding penalties).Arsenal fans have embraced this shift - understandably, considering the strong position it has put them in - celebrating their team winning corners as other teams would direct free kicks on the edge of the box.With games increasingly defined by marginal gains, low-to-mid blocks and set pieces, the 2025/26 Premier League season has already seen more 0-0 draws than the entirety of the previous one, with the current rate set to result in a higher total of goalless games than all but one of the previous seven seasons.Only one season in the history of the competition (2009/10) saw a lower percentage of goals scored from open play than this season has so far, at 64.8% after the 27th round of fixtures.Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart recently claimed "it's too dangerous" financially for teams, including top teams, to "go toe-to-toe and slug it out".Hart speculated that the increase to five substitutions during a game has encouraged the "pragmatic approach" in vogue in the Premier League.According to Hart, top teams now "back themselves to play for the 95 minutes rather than get the game done" by outscoring their opponents early.Arsenal's lack of intensity has drawn criticism of late, however, with troubles finishing off weaker opponents seeing the Gunners drop points against Forest, Brentford and Wolves.In this light, Liverpool deserve some credit for sticking to their principles. Results have suffered along with performances, leaving last year's title winners with a battle on their hands just to qualify for the Champions League.Developing a reputation as a soft touch at set pieces has contributed to the loss of Liverpool's air of invincibility and has had a tangible effect on the league table.Slot recently admitted: "It's impossible to be top four, top five with our set piece balance, let alone winning the league." Indeed, in the first 26 games of this season in all competitions, Liverpool conceded 13 goals from set pieces and scored eight, for a shocking 'set piece balance' of minus five.Since set-piece coach Aaron Briggs departed the club, Liverpool have conceded just two and scored another nine from only 12 games, for a balance of plus seven.In that same span of time, Arsenal have a set-piece balance of plus eight.

But, in an ideal world, supporters would surely prefer set pieces just to be another string to Liverpool's bow if we want to be the best footballing side in the country.After all, do any of us really want to see the game played this way?Marginal gainsHart may have a point with his assessment of the financial pressures pushing the Premier League towards a more conservative approach.But there may be a simpler explanation as to why set pieces in particular have become so essential.The saying goes, 'there are no easy games in the Premier League', but it has never been more true than in the last five years. We have to take the game with us and we have to be credible."The odd thing about all this is that it gives the impression that the game's laws are by themselves ambiguous or otherwise deferential to the judgement of the referee on the subject of holding when this, in fact, could not be further from the case.Law 12.1 of Ifab's Laws of the Game states concretely that a direct free kick is to be awarded if a player "holds an opponent" or "impedes an opponent with contact".Under 'Other Advice', further direction is given on the requirement to be strict when holding takes place at set pieces:"Referees are reminded to make an early intervention and to deal firmly with holding offences, especially inside the penalty area at corner kicks and free kicks."To deal with these situations: The referee must warn any player holding an opponent before the ball is in play; caution the player if the holding continues before the ball is in play; award a direct free kick or penalty kick and caution the player if it happens once the ball is in play”.Webb's statement, emphasising that change is being delivered "in line with the feedback we've had", frames the initiative as a proactive move and a logical evolution of the game.However, punishing holding is nothing new, and the letter of the law has changed little since the original publication of the oldest file in Ifab's Laws of the Game public document archive, all the way back in 1903.Holding, defined as "the obstruction of a player by the hand or any part of the arm extended from the body", was not to be allowed unless considered unintentional.By 1952, off-the-ball obstruction (impeding) had become an offence in its own right, and ahead of the 2016/17 season was upgraded from an indirect free kick to a direct free kick - meaning impeding an attacker in the penalty area with contact - even without kicking, pushing or holding - could now result in a penalty.Law 12.1 has maintained exactly the same wording in the 10 years since.

English referees were given the task of implementing this change and responding to complaints over holding offences.Sky Sports reported at the time on a "directive" in which "referees have been directed to clamp down on fouls in the penalty area from attacking and defending players at set-pieces."Showing how little has changed since, the issue "was raised a number of times last season [2015/16] and it was decided action should be taken."One of the examples given by Sky was a decision of no penalty and a mere telling off for Jan Vertonghen, who "hauled down" Liverpool's Joel Matip in a game at White Hart Lane in August of that year, which ended as a 1-1 draw.PGMOL went so far as to present the new directive at a series of pre-season meetings with Premier League players and managers.Incredibly, the slide on holding began with the line: "Key principle: Physical contact is an acceptable part of football."Few would disagree with that statement, but it is a strikingly defiant way to begin an explanation of a new directive aimed at cracking down on holding, particularly in the context of an international rule change targeting off-the-ball impeding/obstruction.The presentation went on to clarify the "considerations" referees would use to determine if a case of holding merited punishment: "Players who only focus on their opponent and pay no attention to the ball before holding an opponent run a high risk of being penalised; players who clearly hold an opponent by pulling their shirt, or extend an arm to pull back an opponent run the risk of being penalised; where holding is sustained and clearly prevents an opponent from making a movement it is likely to be penalised."It is unclear whether the presentation covered the impeding/obstruction rule change. "It's clear that this has become more common when set-piece coaches were employed by clubs to get any advantage possible," he said."It's something the PGMOL and Premier League need to address, and any blocking on the goalkeeper must be punished by a free kick."Yes, more fouls will be given at first, but when teams realise they will not be allowed to use this tactic, they will stop."We see this tactic used less in the Champions League as referees punish more."There is something admirable about the effort to preserve physicality.