Deliver, timing and the ‘dark arts’ – the anatomy of a set piece
In addition to technical factors, Pederson believes there is also a psychological game at play when a team is successful from corners – their reputation can create uncertainty within opponents.
“At Blackburn we were leading the league in goals scored from set pieces at one point,” he said. “When you feel fear from your opponents, it helps you. You saw that at Arsenal. Once you see the fear in your opponents, you continue to attack it. We can see that at Blackburn to this point.”
The role of the player, who is not necessarily the one delivering the target, is also becoming increasingly important. Looking away from the set-piece taker and towards the players awaiting the cross, one can see carefully planned pushing and ‘blocking’ movements designed to create free movement for the team’s strongest headers.
“The ‘dark magic’ is the key to successful corner kicks – blocking,” says freelance set-piece analyst Stuart Reid, who has worked with a number of professional clubs.
“Even if you’re a team that’s not very good in the air, most teams will have at least one player who’s good in the air. If you use blocking, you can potentially free up that player.”
“Tony Pulis was brilliant in blocking,” Shawcross added of his former Stoke boss. “Before the ball comes in, we’ll have two or three different blocks, which will give players space to attack the ball. Our ideal situation is to have someone at the front post, someone at the back post, someone at the back post. There’s something in the middle Open space, someone blocking the goalie.
“Everything that Mikel Arteta is waxing lyrical about now was done by the Welsh genius Tony Pulis a few years ago.”
The percentage of scoring opportunities from corners is still relatively low – only 4.6% of goals from corners were scored last season, for example.
But as Arsenal have shown – with Arteta’s men converting 6% of corners in 2023-24 – hard work on the training pitch can pay off.
“Big games are decided these days through set pieces,” Pedersen concluded. “The better you do at set pieces, the better your chances are of winning these big games. It’s a big unknown.”
