Arne Slot’s secret touchline weapon that could be decisive for Liverpool at Turf Moor
Liverpool have joined a number of Premier League teams in implementing a tactic that once looked to be out of fashion and it could help them cruise to victory against Burnley this weekend.
Liverpool were lauded for their slick attacking play and strong defensive structure as they won the Premier League in Arne Slot‘s debut season in charge last term.
Slot has aimed to keep things fresh this season with a slightly different approach, with left-back Milos Kerkez joining Liverpool from Bournemouth and the arrival of Jeremie Frimpong on the opposite flank has seen his side become more open at the back, but also more of a threat going forward.
The Reds have been similarly imperious in the 2025-26 campaign so far, with three wins from as many games up to now, including key victories against Newcastle and Arsenal.
Slot’s side will aim to continue their impressive start with a win against newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday (14 September), with Alexander Isak potentially set for his Liverpool debut, and a new weapon that they have deployed this season is likely to be important to grabbing three points.
Liverpool have taken second-most long throw-ins this season
Liverpool are one of the top-flight teams who have been utilising long throw-ins (any throw-in over 20m is considered a ‘long’ throw) this season, with Slot’s side launching the second-most (35) into the box up to now, with Aston Villa (40) the only club to have taken more.
Long throw-ins were commonplace in the 2000s at teams like Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers, and while that kind of pragmatic, long-ball system is not what the Reds are striving for, they are clearly trying to add another string to their bow in terms of scoring goals to help them win another title.
Interestingly, 32 long throw-ins were taken on the first weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season, at an average of 3.2 per game, which was a huge upturn on an average of 1.52 per game across the last campaign.
Liverpool are no strangers to being innovators when it comes to this element of the game, with Jurgen Klopp employing Thomas Gronnemark as a throw-in coach between 2018 and 2023, the first of his kind in the English top-flight.
The long throw can be equivalent to a set-piece when used properly, and Liverpool will be excited to utilise their new weapon against Burnley in particular, due to 37.5% of the Clarets’ 16 goals conceded last season in the second-tier being from dead-ball situations [WhoScored].
When that statistic is implemented into last season’s Premier League, they come out as the second-worst at defending set-pieces across the campaign, only behind Arsenal, who let in 38.7% of their goals from those situations, so Liverpool should be able to have great joy from long throws on Sunday.
Weather forecast at Turf Moor could be decisive
Turf Moor could help amplify the chaos on Sunday, as the Reds aim to launch balls high into their hosts’ penalty area when they are presented with the opportunity to do so.
Burnley’s historic stadium sits around 128m above sea level, so is often breezy, and lots of their previous top-flight success under Sean Dyche was attributed to their strong home form and it being a tough place to visit for opposition sides.
There is a weather warning in place for Sunday [BBC] in Burnley, with “strong and gusty winds” set to affect play as the Premier League champions visit town.
Those weather conditions will boost distance, dip, and make already awkward second balls even tougher for the Clarets to deal with, and with Liverpool preparing to attack from the touchline, the Turf Moor microclimate that once massively benefited them could be about to make them pay against Slot’s men.