Declan Rice has pushed back against what he called disproportionate criticism of Arsenal’s use of set pieces, saying the attention stems from the team doing them well. Rice told The i Paper he found the reaction puzzling. “Everyone talks about it and then everyone does it—so it’s confusing!” he said. “But they’re not doing it to the level that we do it. You can see that when you’re seeing teams take corners. We can still get better and that’s the good thing about it.”

The debate has been heightened in recent weeks. After Arsenal beat Chelsea 2–1 earlier this month in a match that produced three set-piece goals, Liverpool manager Arne Slot criticised the direction of the modern game, insisting it was “not a pleasure ” to watch as he questioned the reluctance to punish excess physicality in the penalty area.

Tottenham Hotspur winger Mathys Tel echoed those concerns during an appearance on ZACK, describing corners as chaotic. “We’re all bunched together, everyone’s pushing, knocking each other to the ground, holding on to each other,” Tel lamented. “Forget it. The goalkeeper can no longer get out, he can no longer see.” He added a broader observation on the league: “I’m going to tell the truth, yes [it’s less exciting]. In the sense that it’s no longer a show, it’s really annoying to watch.

“There are fewer spectacles. There isn’t a Vinicius [Junior] pulling off a sombrero, dribbling past you, or a Kylian [Mbappé] bursting past you. Here, I’d say it’s more structured, maybe too much so, with clear ideas, all the set pieces, little details that can sometimes make the difference. But sometimes you think it might be too much.”

That critique met public defence from Wayne Rooney on his self-titled podcast. Rooney, Manchester United’s all-time top scorer, praised Arsenal’s approach and argued coaches should exploit set pieces. “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Arsenal and the way they’re playing but I think they’ve been brilliant,” Rooney argued. “The set pieces are part of football—why would you not use it? They put bodies in the box, if teams aren’t clever enough or haven’t got the players to deal with it, why wouldn’t Arsenal continue to do that?

“I would be doing it even more if I was Mikel Arteta. It’s part of the game and I love it. They don’t have to change anything. They maybe haven’t scored as many goals from open play as they would like but they’ve made up for it in other ways. ]

Liverpool moved quickly to secure Ryan Gravenberch with a lucrative six-year deal, but the work on longer-term contracts is far from finished. The club’s attempt to avoid a repeat of last year’s contract turmoil concluded positively when two veteran icons remained at Anfield, but fresh choices now lie ahead. With Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah signing two-year extensions in 2025, Liverpool must plan for multiple high-profile expiries and ensure the next core group are committed.

Curtis Jones
The homegrown Curtis Jones has been underused by Arne Slot this season. His ball security in the build-up and ability to break lines with vertical passes are attributes Liverpool have missed at times. Jones can dally in possession and is less effective when used higher upfield, yet his versatility is valued by the manager and he has occasionally been deployed at right back. With 18 months remaining on his contract, Inter and Tottenham Hotspur showed interest in January, and Liverpool briefly seemed open to selling. No move occurred in the winter, Inter are expected to reignite that interest in the summer, and Spurs could require a player of Jones’s profile if they avoid relegation to the Championship. Liverpool have time to decide, but an attractive offer could prove tempting for an academy graduate.

Alisson
The club now risks losing three superstars in one swoop in 2027 because of the two-year extensions agreed for Van Dijk and Salah in 2025. At 33, Alisson still has several strong years left, but his injury history counts against him. He remains one of the world’s best goalkeepers and could command another major contract. Liverpool’s succession plan, Giorgi Mamardashvili, is yet to convince, with not much to go on yet, so the club may need to revisit its approach to the Brazilian’s future. Another extension may be in the offing.

Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool’s preferred midfield has not changed since last season, and the club may view the summer as the right window to sell Alexis Mac Allister. He has generally been brilliant for the Reds but has disappointed this year. His current deal runs until 2028, meaning Liverpool could still extract strong value now. Real Madrid have only been tenuously linked. The midfielder’s father recently admitted that there has been no development on the new contract front. Mac Allister, who, according to Capology, earns $201,000 (£150,000) weekly, will see Gravenberch’s bumper new deal and potentially believe he’s worth something similar. Liverpool face a significant decision over the 27-year-old’s future.

Manchester United and Liverpool successfully persuaded the social media platform X to remove a series of posts generated by Grok that clubs described as “sickening and irresponsible.” The posts, reported by The Athletic, referenced the 1958 Munich air disaster, the fatal crowd crush at Hillsborough in 1989 and the tragic passing of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota last summer. The material was taken down later that same Sunday.

The incident underlines how a long-standing problem has migrated into the digital age. What supporters call “tragedy chanting”—the open mocking of events that have caused real human loss—has existed in stadiums and on walls for decades; social media and AI are now extensions of that conduct. The clubs most affected, the two most successful in English soccer history who have both been touched by notable tragedies, have faced this abuse regularly.

In March 2023, the managers of both clubs—then Erik ten Hag and Jürgen Klopp—issued a joint statement on the subject. “It is unacceptable to use the loss of life—in relation to any tragedy—to score points, and it is time for it to stop,” Ten Hag wrote. Klopp added: “We do want the noise, we do want the occasion to be partisan and we do want the atmosphere to be electric. What we do not want is anything that goes beyond this and this applies especially to the kind of chants that have no place in football.” Those words did not end the behaviour.

As recently as February, Nottingham Forest warned fans against tragedy chanting ahead of Liverpool’s visit. Earlier this year a Liverpool supporter received a three-year ban from attending all soccer matches after chanting about the death of two Leeds United fans.

Social media can provide anonymity that facilitates abuse, and the U.K. government has moved to limit how AI tools can be used in this way. Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne called the posts “appalling and completely unacceptable,” predicting that they “will fill the vast majority of fans with horror and disgust.” “It’s shocking and upsetting that hate-filled language like this can be generated by Grok on such a major platform,” Byrne told The Athletic. The member of U.K. parliament also questioned “how this was allowed to happen,” pointing out: “Technology companies have a responsibility to ensure their tools do not produce or amplify abuse.” The Online Safety Act launched in 2023 deems that spreading “threatening communications” is considered a criminal offence. A spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: “These posts are sickening and irresponsible. They go against British values and decency.”