Andoni Iraola says first-team coaches Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper will be responsible for Liverpool’s set-pieces this season.Liverpool have been without a specialist set-piece coach since the sacking of Aaron Briggs last December.Their record both offensively and defensively improved after the turn of the year with analyst Lewis Mahoney taking on more responsibility for the routines. Mahoney will work closely with Elphick and Cooper in the upcoming campaign.“Tommy is more in charge of the defensive set-plays, Shaun is more the offensive set-plays,” Iraola said. “They’re working here very well with the set-piece analyst Lewis, who was very good in the second half of last season.”Liverpool conceded 23 Premier League goals from set-pieces last season with only Leeds United (24), Crystal Palace (25) and Bournemouth (26) letting in more. Arne Slot’s side scored 19 league goals via that route with six top-flight clubs faring better, including Bournemouth (20).Bringing the trusted trio of Elphick, Cooper and assistant coach Pablo de la Torre with him from Bournemouth was crucial for Iraola when he was in discussions with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes over succeeding Slot.Spanish fitness coach Torre has a close bond with Iraola going back to their time working together in Cyprus at AEK Larnaca eight years ago. They were reunited at Rayo Vallecano in 2020 and De la Torre then followed Iraola to Bournemouth in 2023.“For me, it was important they all came with me,” Iraola explained. “Pablo is the physical coach but has been with me almost all the years I have been coaching. He is much more than a physical coach, really. He’s an assistant and knows me very well.”Former Bournemouth captains Elphick and Cooper were both academy coaches at Bournemouth before being promoted to the senior set-up under manager Gary O’Neil in 2022. When Iraola took over 12 months later, their services were retained.“I was very lucky with Tommy and Shaun when I arrived at Bournemouth,” he added. “I was unlucky to have the issue with my assistant Inigo Perez (who couldn’t get a work permit to stay in the UK), but maybe it was not unlucky for him as he is now coaching Villarreal and maybe we will play against him in the Champions League this season.“When I had Tommy and Shaun, we did not feel the need to send for another assistant. They were very prepared, very helpful for me in terms of understanding the English culture, the mentality of the players, what they were used to, what they like in training, small details that maybe in Spain are different.“With the experience Tommy has having played for Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton (& Hove Albion), Huddersfield, they can both be in a closer position to the players. They can feel more identified with them. I am a little bit older. Some of them maybe don’t even know I was a player.“They’ve been very good for me. They are good coaches, we understand the game similarly, and they have different roles in the coaching staff, with the help they give me with set-pieces. That’s the reason why I continued with them.”