Liverpool may have found the answer to their search for a set-piece coach, with Portuguese coach Rúben Pinheiro revealing he’s applied for the job.
That’s according to Record, who speak to him today regarding his role and the potential philosophy that he could bring to Liverpool with him.
Reports over the last week or so have detailed how Liverpool are currently searching for a set-piece coach to add to the new look team under Arne Slot next season.
The Reds have seemingly been scouring the market for a new man in that department, even posting a position on LinkedIn in the hope of finding the ideal candidate.
The role of the set piece coach has gained plenty of traction in recent years, with Arsenal employing one to great effect in their title challenge over the last two years and Brentford’s Bernardo Cueva earning headlines in recent weeks as Chelsea have paid £800,000 to secure his signature.
It appears Liverpool want to get in on the act and have a man for the job themselves, having not focused on it as specifically under Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
Whether they find their candidate via LinkedIn remains to be seen but one application in the pile will be from Pinheiro, who has detailed what he would bring to the role.
“The impact of set pieces, in my opinion, is not new,” stressed the coach, after revealing his application for the job at Liverpool.
“Now it is becoming very relevant, also given the evolution of the game, the fact that more and more teams are being worked on in detail.
“What seems clearly different to me is that, over these years, the way in which the moment is approached, the attention given to the moment in training, the innovation that increasingly exists.
“The process of creating set pieces can be divided into four phases. The first is the process of analysing what we are going to find. Therefore, a rigorous analysis process on how the opposing team behaves, for example, defends itself in the zone.
“And the same thing offensively. The English call it design. In this design, in a way, I always put the identification of a signal, so that all players can know which dead ball will be decided by the kicker. Therefore, the hitter does not only have to be a good performer, but also a good interpreter and observer.
“Once the hitter is defined, the finisher is chosen. It is also defined, within the area, which players will be blocking any more direct marking that this finishing player normally has.
“Once the design has been developed, we move on to training it. After that, I also consider it essential that the same is done on a collective scale, with real opposition and as competitive as possible.
“In the last stage, which, in my opinion, has the same importance as the others, despite being done after the game, is the observation of the team’s performance in those moments in terms of what we want, because that will allow us to see, as at any other moment in the game, what was less well done.”
An application for Liverpool to consider, then.
