Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan believes that the Reds’ work on the training pitch is finally starting to pay off on set pieces. The Estonian captain scored the opening goal against Derby County in the EFL cup last night.
The deflected half volley from a corner comes hot on the heels of another volley by a centre back: Dejan Lovren against Chelsea last week, and Klavan says their work on improving set plays, both offensively and defensively is paying dividends. He told Liverpoolfc.com:
“We work a lot on defensive set-pieces and also offensive ones. Slowly, you can see our defensive ones are getting better and also our offensive ones – we are nicking some goals.”
Klavan went on to say he is not thinking about whether the goal will help his first team chances but the return of Joel Matip to full fitness has meant the 30 year old could have his playing time limited to cup competitions in the coming weeks and months. Matip has struck up a strong partnership with Lovren but the Reds have yet to secure a clean sheet in the Premier League, and after helping his side to a 3-0 win last night, Klavan will be hoping that both his performance and goal will help stake a claim for more appearances in the Premier League.
