Liverpool is continuing to progress under the guidance of Andoni Iraola, with the head coach implementing and succeeding in one key improvement over his predecessor, Arne Slot

Andoni Iraola's Liverpool is still a work in progress. With every two steps forward, there seems to be a step back, but the progress is still there for everyone to see, even if there is still plenty to improve.

The Reds made the brutal decision to dismiss Arne Slot in the summer after feeling the manager had not got the best out of the options at his disposal, despite overseeing a season filled with on- and off-pitch instability, following a Premier League title win the campaign before.

There was a sense of discontent with the results and the performances. Turning to Iraola brought hope that things could stabilize, with a clear identity on the pitch.

In terms of those two key factors, Liverpool has still been inconsistent at times, with some frustrating draws and defeats followed by some disappointing performances. However, there have also been signs of improvement, with more intensity in the play, and an expensively assembled forward line that is starting to decide matches.

While the jury is still out on exactly how well the project is going under Iraola, the ultimate verdict on that is likely to be decided by the end of the season. There is, however, one clear area that the Spaniard has improved Liverpool in quite clearly since he arrived in the summer.

That being the set-piece side of the game. Set-pieces proved both a huge strength and a weakness for several Premier League teams last season, with many games decided solely on them.

It was something that left Slot furious, bemoaning the meta in the league when he stated back in March: "You have to accept it. I think it's mainly here in the Premier League. If I watch other leagues I don't think there's so much emphasis on set-pieces.

"If I watch an Eredivisie game, which I still do, I see goals being disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers being given and I think 'wow, that's a big difference'. Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face and the referee still says 'just go on'. Do I like it? My football heart doesn't like it.

"If you ask me about football, I think about the Barcelona team from 10, 15 years ago. Every Sunday evening you were hoping they would play. Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch but it's always interesting because it's so competitive. That is what makes this league great because there is so much competitiveness. Everyone can win against everyone."

It's no surprise Slot didn't like them, not only because he may be more of a soccer purist, but because Liverpool had struggled more than others with set-pieces. The Reds conceded 20 goals against them last season, despite an xG conceded of 12.7, not only giving away far too many opportunities but also being punished by them.

Fast-forward to this season, and it has changed drastically. Liverpool is one of only two teams, the other being Brentford, to not concede a goal from a set-piece in the opening ten matches of the season. This isn't just variance going the team's way, but a clear improvement, as the side has the second-least xG against from set-piece opportunities with 1.76 conceded.

It's those fine margins that have already given Liverpool an edge this season compared to the last, with Iraola seemingly finding a way to improve things. Interestingly, the coach struggled with set-pieces himself last season, with Bournemouth conceding the third-most, 18 in total, perhaps making it a clear area for him to improve.

From an attacking sense, there has been a little more misfortune. The Reds have scored just once this season from set-pieces, but the underlying numbers look good, with well over 4 xG generated from them so far, so there is a chance that goals will soon flow from them, as it did for Alexis Mac Allister against Crystal Palace.

It remains to be seen just how Liverpool will fare again after the international break, but it's a clear area for improvement for the side under the new boss, which is earning points on the board.