In this Premier League season, set-piece goals are more vital than ever. Both developments underscore the stark disparities in performance among different clubs. Notably, Liverpool and Arsenal exemplify the extremes of this trend, with Liverpool struggling defensively while Arsenal seeks to improve its offensive strategies. So far this season, teams are averaging 1.8 open-play goals per game, significantly down from last year’s 2.2. Consequently, they’re finding themselves more and more reliant on set-pieces as the most fundamental means of scoring.
Liverpool’s dominance on set-pieces has received a lot of press. Yet they’ve posted the lowest share of inswinging corners in the league this year, only 48 percent of their corners in-to-out. This statistic actually points to a much larger issue within the club’s defensive shape. As Jamie Carragher recently discussed, their struggles come from a zonal marking approach that fails to pick up players in space. At the other end of the pitch, Liverpool have shipped 13 set-piece goals this season. This ranks them as one of the league’s most porous defenses in this regard.
Liverpool’s Set-Piece Struggles
The challenges faced by Liverpool are multifaceted. Despite having scored only three non-penalty set-piece goals this season—fewer than even the relegation-threatened Wolves with four—the team has allowed a high number of set-piece goals. Carragher’s breakdown shows that a lot of these goals are scored off second balls. Opposition players are almost always wide open when they pull off these plays.
This is despite Liverpool having conceded 13 goals from set-pieces – that’s second-worst in the league. They do, however, sit just behind Bournemouth, with the Cherries having conceded 14 goals. This trend has become a major issue for a team that, as recently as last year, made their name on defensive strength. The tactical decisions behind set-pieces have been heavily criticized as clubs wisely realize the effects of them in today’s game. Elements.
When analyzed through a lens for total performance value added, Liverpool’s tactical decisions seem counterintuitive to what’s currently working in the league. The Premier League is enjoying a historic run in the efficiency of inswinging corners. In fact, players have netted 77 goals from these in-swinging deliveries compared to just 11 from out-swingers. In fact, inswingers are more than a third more successful, resulting in 5.3 percent of all inswingers finishing as goals compared to just 3.6 percent of outswingers. This statistical data extremely strongly indicates that Liverpool should not continue with the approach they’ve had to corners in the future.
The Rise of Long Throws
Though Liverpool has come in for criticism over their defending from set-pieces, Prem sides have started to change their approach. Brentford stirred the footballing pot so far this season by taking more than 100 long throws. This unbelievable accomplishment marks a new record across all of Premier League history! This clever play is a reminder of how much set-piece tactics are changing. Clubs are doing everything they can to scramble through any crack to get an advantage.
As shown in the chart below, in recent seasons, the average number of long throws per game has all but tripled. It’s almost four deep balls a game now though! Clubs are very much underestimating the power and the importance of set-pieces. This trend is a testament to their prioritization of long corners and throw-ins. As teams like Brentford lead the charge with long throws, other clubs are investing in specialized coaching to refine their own set-piece strategies.
Arsenal has recently made headlines for hiring Thomas Gronnemark, a former throw-in coach for Liverpool, to enhance their performance in long throws. In this regard, Premier League teams are taking a big step in the opposite direction. They even focused on set-pieces, treating them as an important feature in their strategy.
Coaching Innovations and Future Trends
The growing importance of set-pieces has brought about a seismic shift among coaching/managerial ranks throughout the Premier League. It’s a trend that this season has seen 15 of those clubs employ dedicated set-piece coaches. This change goes to show how important team DEI strategies are to improving team performance. This change is emblematic of a larger trend in football where those who push the tactical envelope are often the most successful.
There’s the fact that teams spend a lot more time defending corners. They’ve raised their average time-wasting from 26 seconds gained in the 2016/17 season to 36 seconds this season. This change reflects a greater appreciation of the subtleties involved in executing effective set-pieces. It also underscores the growing value of careful planning.
It’s because teams are doing serious, in-depth work to study and perfect their set-piece routines. This new reality is most obviously reshaping the competitive balance across the Premier League. Even as teams gameplan endlessly to get the most out of short corners and long throw-ins. Adopting this mindset may lead to players scoring more goals from these opportunities.
Leave a Reply