[Football] Set pieces - worth a read

Really interesting article on how Sheffield United are doing set-pieces.

http://www.trainingground.guru/articles/why-set-pieces-are-such-a-weapon-for-sheffield-united

I enjoyed that. Quite fascinating. They must spend ages practicing.

Jack Straw said:

I enjoyed that. Quite fascinating. They must spend ages practicing.

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Whereas, quite often, we look like we don't!

No goals from corners for B&HA this season IIRC, and I can only remember one from a (Gross) free kick, when Stephens knocked it down for Hemed to score against Newcastle.

Machiavelli said:

No goals from corners for B&HA this season IIRC, and I can only remember one from a (Gross) free kick, when Stephens knocked it down for Hemed to score against Newcastle.

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Murray at West Ham and Im trying to remember if the penalty was won from a corner as well. Liverpool penalty won from corner.

Machiavelli said:

No goals from corners for B&HA this season IIRC, and I can only remember one from a (Gross) free kick, when Stephens knocked it down for Hemed to score against Newcastle.

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And even then, the ref should have blown for a push.

Nice and inventive, good stuff

some really cool training ground stuff bewildering the opposition. Like

Our approach to defending and attacking set pieces surely needs to be reviewed. I remember Sean Dyche saying a couple of years ago that Burnley had identified our defending at set pieces as an area of weakness (after scoring against us from a set piece) and, other than buying in Duffy (which worked for a while), it seems we still have a problem and I would imagine all opposing Premier League sides have identified this as a weakness and are now successfully scoring regularly against us from set pieces. Similarly when we get a corner or a free kick in an offensive position the tactics we employ, usually just to launch the ball into the centre of the melee (for Duffy to have a header on goal) or to try and get it to the player standing a little to one side of the melee (Duffy) to head it back into the melee. Our approach to these two situational set piece scenarios is not atypical by english football standards but things are beginning to change and the stimulus for that change seems to be coming, perhaps surprisingly, from Yorkshire, Sheffield United, as the article says, are investing a significant amount of time into planning innovative set pieces, with success, and Leeds, yes LEEDS ffs, have appointed a set piece coach, specialising in planning and implementing set piece tactics.

With regard to the attacking set piece, it strikes me that there should be at least two complete no-nos with set piece delivery. No-no number 1 is that the ball should never be delivered so close to the goalkeeper so that it is an easy take for the 'keeper. No-no number 2 should be that the ball should always get beyond the first (near post) defender. And yet how often in virtually every game (not just Albion game but every league game) do set piece deliveries either go straight to the opposition 'keeper or the first defender? It also seems obvious that the one thing that defenders defending set pieces are likely to feel nervous about is space, space for offensive players to move into as they attack the ball. So from a tactical perspective the question must be how do you pull defenders away from the goal in order to create space for your players to run into as the ball comes over? One thing is certain....you don't put all your players in the penalty area where they can be man marked, which is what usually happens. Maybe you use your tallest players (ie the ones who would traditionally be regarded as dangerous at set pieces) as decoys, place them outside the area so they can run onto the ball as it is delivered, or have all your players starting outside the area running in as the ball is delivered, or just some of them running in depending on how the defenders try to mark the attackers.

Regarding defending set pieces a key element must be to avoid fouling attacking players within set piece range unless it is unavoidable. Our approach seems to vary from allowing players to run at our defence almost at will without attempting to tackle them (eg Jordan Ibe yesterday) to giving away stupid fouls within comfortable set piece range (and Bruno is rather good at this). Also essential must be a goalkeeper who is comfortable commanding the 6 yard box. Mat Ryan is a superb shot stopper and the statistics suggest he is comfortable at set pieces judged by the number of times he comes for a cross, punches the ball away etc. and yet the evidence of my eyes sometimes contradicts this in the sense that I just don't think there is, currently, a collective confidence at the back when defending set pieces. Confidence must surely come from a commanding 'keeper who dominates his immediate area both physically and verbally?

As can be seen from my observations I don't really know diddly squat but I just get the sense we could and should be doing more at least on the offensive front, as goals are difficult to come by in this league and we need to be doing everything in our power to increase our chances of scoring.

Super post Surf's Up. I would add that No-no number 3 is standing in an offside position when the free kicks are taken. There has been a surprising amount of times where we have wasted free kicks by one (or more) players being caught offside - when they really shouldn't be.

As fans, why we still get excited when we win a corner I don't know!

Since Sheffield United are so innovative at attacking set plays, I'd be interested to know if they are as adept at defending them too. I've tried to detect any pattern or method in ours beyond simple man-to-man marking, which can break down when an individual doesn't win his personal battle - Bruno rather too often. We regularly have all 10 outfield players in our own area from corners, but the opposition never do (by definition one is taking the corner and at least one defender is back) so what are our extra players doing? Obviously not taking the posts. Getting in each others' way instead of blocking opponents' runs?

Perhaps we should stop man to man marking and go for zonal marking but most of all put a man on each post as we we were taught as schoolboys. I must admit I have a great deal of trouble identifying that we are using man for man marking..

Jack Straw said:

I enjoyed that. Quite fascinating. They must spend ages practicing.

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We should try that first one on Sunday.

The range of set piece ploys created and used by Sheffield United makes us look positively 4th division!! Ok so they don't always come off but we're in the Premier League ffs, our lack of tactical set piece creativity and imagination could well contribute to our downfall if we don't do something about it.

Surf's Up said:

The range of set piece ploys created and used by Sheffield United makes us look positively 4th division!! Ok so they don't always come off but we're in the Premier League ffs, our lack of tactical set piece creativity and imagination could well contribute to our downfall if we don't do something about it.

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...and particularly given the set piece delivery ability of one Pascal Gross

That was a good piece.
So, what do the players do in training because clearly shooting and set pieces are not part of that.. they could definitely do with trying a few of those out.

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