Boss says set-piece goals against have killed us in recent games.

David Artell has told the club’s official website that he wants players not to be such a ‘soft touch’ from set-pieces after we have conceded five goals from set-piece routines in the last three games.

The Alex boss believes that the goals we conceded from set plays against Sunderland on Tuesday evening ‘absolutely killed us’ and he was left clearly frustrated by the cheapness of the goals conceded in the 4-0 loss, especially after the promising start we made to the game before their first goal.

The Crewe boss told the club’s official website: “We have conceded five goals from set-pieces in the last 3 games and that is ridiculous. That is soft because a set-piece, be it a corner or a free kick coming in is structured. Everyone has their man and you have to make sure you do your job. That is the starting point and then it is about making sure your man doesn’t score.

“We have conceded some really poor goals in the last two games and that is something we have to address and continue to address.

“When we concede that first goal, we cannot have it being terminal for some of them. That is a mind-set thing and on Tuesday there was still 70 minutes or so left to play. We have to cope better and get that belief back into them because they are good players.”