It doesn’t take being a Liverpool fan to know that defending crosses has been something Jurgen Klopp’s men have struggled with at times this season.
Recent performances, however, have seen the team look far stronger in this area of the game and better prepared to deal with balls into the box.
Lucas Leiva believes Sunday’s 1-0 win over West Brom posed as further evidence of the team’s defensive improvement with set pieces at both end of the field having been something the Reds have paid close attention to in training.
“We’ve been working hard [on set-pieces], not just this week but throughout the whole season,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“We know we always can improve and I think today was another step forward in the right direction, especially our defending and of course our goal from a set-piece is always very welcome.”
“We know how difficult it is to play West Bromwich Albion away from home and I thought we defended really well, we kept a clean sheet and we won the game.”
“The top four is possible and it looks good at this moment, but we still have five games to go. These kinds of wins always give you a lot of confidence because we know how hard it is to play here and a lot of teams come here and drop points.”
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Lucas was central to an organised and balanced performance that saw Liverpool out-manoeuvre a well-drilled West Brom side and subsequently earn three valuable points away from home.
The ability to combat the home side’s aerial threats and cut off the supply line from out wide was a sign of progression, highlighting another approach Liverpool are capable of and one that will perhaps be useful in the on-going fight for a top four spot.