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[Albion] Analysis: Here's why Brighton and Hove Albion might play so many short corners





Mr Banana

Tedious chump
Aug 8, 2005
5,481
Standing in the way of control
Pretty well covered by Duncan Alexander et al. Enjoyed the first paragraph of that article. "All three points up for grabs", eh? As opposed to the lesser number that are usually available in a league game?

Stats aside, I'd rather we had a go from corners, if only for the crowd roar rather than the groan when we take it short and make an obvious hash of it, which feels like it's been going on since at least 1998.
 


Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Corners are very overrated, just like the stats show. There are exceptions of course: like Brighton in the first (I think) PL season with CH, second or third most PL goals from corners. Or like Bournemouth last season, second only to Man City. But it comes at a cost, if you spend a lot of time practising corners you spend less time practising something else that is usually more likely to result in goals. Generally corners are one of those things people moan about in almost every single club, because people overestimate how important they are.
 


SimpKingpin

See the match?
Aug 8, 2020
941
Worthing -> NYC
"In total, according to the data analysts, the net goal difference of corners is zero. So for every one goal the average Premier League team scores from a corner, they will concede from one i.e. getting caught on the counter attack.

The analysts go on to mention the great footballing teams such as Barcelona and Spain and how they both prefer to go short to retain possession and at the same time prevent a counter attack."

Seems to be all about control. Retain possession, no unnecessary counter attacks.

Makes me wonder how many goals are scored from counter attacks off corners...?
I mean, everyone is out of position. Never really thought of it this way.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,391
West west west Sussex
"In total, according to the data analysts, the net goal difference of corners is zero. So for every one goal the average Premier League team scores from a corner, they will concede from one i.e. getting caught on the counter attack.

The analysts go on to mention the great footballing teams such as Barcelona and Spain and how they both prefer to go short to retain possession and at the same time prevent a counter attack."

Seems to be all about control. Retain possession, no unnecessary counter attacks.

Makes me wonder how many goals are scored from counter attacks off corners...?
I mean, everyone is out of position. Never really thought of it this way.
It does lead into the obvious question:-

'why still send all the big lads up from the back?'


I'll look again but isn't GPotts short corner routine 'play it short then crossing in?'
So possession is retained for all of 5 secs and everybody is still out of position.

Hardly a reinvention, more tweaked in order to be slightly less productive.
 






BN41Albion

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
6,356
It does lead into the obvious question:-

'why still send all the big lads up from the back?'


I'll look again but isn't GPotts short corner routine 'play it short then crossing in?'
So possession is retained for all of 5 secs and everybody is still out of position.

Hardly a reinvention, more tweaked in order to be slightly less productive.

This. Considering the fact we have 6 points from 8 games, our short corner routine hasn't yielded any success either it would seem :shrug:

I think what's frustrating is that we don't seem to mix it up. As the article said, all our corners v Burnley were taken short.
 








Terry Butcher Tribute Act

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2013
3,109
Of course, what this article doesn't consider is that a) some teams are coached into being more effective from corners, and b) not all teams potentially play with 3 centre backs and a 6ft 7 left back

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 


zefarelly

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
21,719
Sussex, by the sea
Be it a cross or a corner, if there are more than 6 players in the 6 yard box you need someone who can head it on the other end.

Or, my fave is get the cross corner cut back to the edge of the box where someone who can hit a cows arse with a banjo, and/or thread it through the eye of a needle, is ready and waiting.
 




nwgull

Well-known member
Jul 25, 2003
13,653
Manchester
"In total, according to the data analysts, the net goal difference of corners is zero. So for every one goal the average Premier League team scores from a corner, they will concede from one i.e. getting caught on the counter attack.

The analysts go on to mention the great footballing teams such as Barcelona and Spain and how they both prefer to go short to retain possession and at the same time prevent a counter attack."

Seems to be all about control. Retain possession, no unnecessary counter attacks.

Makes me wonder how many goals are scored from counter attacks off corners...?
I mean, everyone is out of position. Never really thought of it this way.

We scored a load of (really good) goals on the counter after defending corners or free-kicks in 15/16 and 16/17. I can’t be arsed to do the stats, but I’d bet we scored more than we conceded from defensive set pieces.
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
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Jul 23, 2003
33,822
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Of course, what this article doesn't consider is that a) some teams are coached into being more effective from corners, and b) not all teams potentially play with 3 centre backs and a 6ft 7 left back

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

It does lead into the obvious question:-

'why still send all the big lads up from the back?'


I'll look again but isn't GPotts short corner routine 'play it short then crossing in?'
So possession is retained for all of 5 secs and everybody is still out of position.

Hardly a reinvention, more tweaked in order to be slightly less productive.

This and this.

If we're not going to stick it in the mixer what is the point with playing with four big lads at the back. Furthermore, if we are going to maintain possession then it's our shortest, quickest, most effective attacking player who we leave back to defend most of the time, presumably to deal with a counter. Not to mention that "love train" thing that England also used to do to break man to man coverage.

This is how it's going this season. Brighton win a corner. My son says "we'll take it short" and starts looking at Insta posts on his phone. We take it short, leaving all our central defenders ahead of the ball, tit about and lose it anyway. Everyone jogs back to the centre circle. My son looks up from his phone.

Predictable AF.

Except that early this season you could put it in and if it slightly brushed the arm of a defender as they were jumping you got a penalty. Let's ask Maupay how that went for us.
 


Perfidious Albion

Well-known member
Oct 25, 2011
5,988
At the end of my tether
Stats and calculations are one thing but football is played by human beings in all weathers , not slide rules . I know that teams score corners too easily against us.
NB Kit Napier used to score direct from the corner post for The Albion, and that was the old third division.
 




Guinness Boy

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Jul 23, 2003
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I'd also add that in Gross and Trossard we have two players who look like they have - or had - a very good dead ball delivery on them. We seem to have statisticed that out of them.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
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Jul 11, 2003
73,391
West west west Sussex
Stats and calculations are one thing but football is played by human beings in all weathers , not slide rules . I know that teams score corners too easily against us.
NB Kit Napier used to score direct from the corner post for The Albion, and that was the old third division.
Vincente was a bugger for trying that too.
After a couple of weeks I even tried to get a price on it, for the next game, but they were having none of it.


I'm hoping it's a long con and GPott has earmarked a team coming up who we catch by changing strategy back to 'normal'.

The only worry from that (nonsense) would be it again smacks of 'too clever for his own good'.
 


Guinness Boy

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Jul 23, 2003
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Sorry, me again.

There's an irony about all this. The more shots you take, the more corners you are likely to get. Everyone whether pro Potter or m'eh tends to agree we have far more shots these days, because we do. By the logic of that article we're putting ourselves in a defensive situation with them!
 


PILTDOWN MAN

Well-known member
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Sep 15, 2004
18,608
Hurst Green
We buck the trend, just happens to be defending a corner.
 




Hugo Rune

Well-known member
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Feb 23, 2012
21,500
Brighton
It does lead into the obvious question:-

'why still send all the big lads up from the back?'

Ask an obvious question.....

This is all about pressure, momentum and possession and the breaking and mixing of the regular pattern of a well ordered defensive line sitting in front of the attacking team.

I’d urge you to look at Barcelona or Spain corner routines as the article alludes to or watch this: https://youtu.be/VWhXtnzsEQM
 
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Farehamseagull

Solly March Fan Club
Nov 22, 2007
13,778
Sarisbury Green, Southampton
It’s true that corners are not very productive and totally backed up by stats, I don’t know how anyone can disagree with that? As Swansman says, there isn’t a great deal of point spending lots of time working on them in training. You’re better off spending that time working on attacking passages of play at transition for example when you’re a lot more likely to score goals as defences are not as organised as they are at corners.

I don’t have any issue with us taking short corners, I think it’s sensible, but what has been a little frustrating recently is the decision making and choice of pass. That has been down to the individual player though, not the tactic itself.

Like Mourinho said, it’s always beenanother British football thing, this obsession with corners and another example of why our coaching has been years behind other nations. Like the fact we cheer a hard tackle more than a quality pass, or we get more angry and upset about spitting and diving than leg breaking challenges. The foreign influence seems to be chaging that though thankfully.
 



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