Set pieces

[Brown Nose]

Another new thread for a new season.

It's such an important part of the game. Our horrific inability to take or defend them became the stuff of legend in the arse end days under BR. We got a 'specialist' in far too late and shambolically. As an aside, remember Lars Knudsen? The chap we got in to solve our problems under BR is now the Danish national team manager.

On Saturday, we scored direct from a corner which felt like a rarity because it is.

Anyway, in 21/22 we created 92 shots from corners and free kicks, scoring 8 times. We conceded 172 shots and lost 20 goals. All pretty horrible and thanks for that goes to Mike Stowell. An effective goal difference of -12.

In 22/23, with Knudsen in charge, we created 102 shots, scoring 9 times. Not a lot of improvement. We conceded 167 shots and lost 13 goals. -4 goal difference. A bit better defensively.

This year, we have another new set piece coach Andrew Hughes. I've been interested to see how we do with him as he comes with a very good reputation for what he did at Norwich.

After two matches, we've scored one goal from 8 set pieces for us and conceded nothing from 15 against us. On the downside, we're currently on track to concede a massive 285 set piece situations this year which shows how much worse we're defending than our last couple of seasons in the PL. However, the early signs are that we are defending them a lot better and are more of a threat when we get them.

 

[H T B]

Not just scored one, but starting to be a threat at corners.

As for the Achilles of defending at corners, that’s going in the right direction as well.

Long may it continue.

 

[Orifice]

I'm just happy that you have called this thread 'Set Pieces' and not 'Set Plays'.
Thank you.

 

[homer]

I'm just happy that you have called this thread 'Set Pieces' and not 'Set Plays'.
Thank you.

A proper bloke would have just called it ‘Free kicks and corners’

Nobber

 

[H T B]

wot about frow ins?

 

[pork pie fox]

wot about frow ins?

Not permitted for U7s - U9s in England any more, so maybe we’re getting ahead of the game and not wasting time practicing them.

 

[give_us_a_wave]

Not permitted for U7s - U9s in England any more, so maybe we’re getting ahead of the game and not wasting time practicing them.

Whats that about then?

Or are they just too weak to lift the ball over their heads ?

 

[pork pie fox]

Whats that about then?

Or are they just too weak to lift the ball over their heads ?

Heading the ball (deliberately) has been banned at those age groups, so it’s connected to that. They use a short pass or a dribble in, to restart the game, instead of a throw in.

 

[Joe_Fox]

Heading the ball (deliberately) has been banned at those age groups, so it’s connected to that. They use a short pass or a dribble in, to restart the game, instead of a throw in.

A dribble in? For ****s sake.

 

[pork pie fox]

A dribble in? For ****s sake.

It's used in hockey, obviously. It's good, to be fair, you can see the kids just cracking on with it and the game restarting quickly, even at that age.

 

[Joe_Fox]

It's used in hockey, obviously. It's good, to be fair, you can see the kids just cracking on with it and the game restarting quickly, even at that age.

Hockey? For ****s sake.

 

[give_us_a_wave]

Heading the ball (deliberately) has been banned at those age groups, so it’s connected to that. They use a short pass or a dribble in, to restart the game, instead of a throw in.

Cool. Learned something today that I didn't know yesterday. Always a good thing.

 

[jb5000]

My daughter's league doesn't allow heading, but throw ins are still there - and seem to be something the teenage referees like to see done properly too

 

[pork pie fox]

My daughter's league doesn't allow heading, but throw ins are still there - and seem to be something the teenage referees like to see done properly too

Not allowing deliberate heading has been a pilot scheme in various areas of England for a while now. The ban of it nationwide and also the ban on throw ins has just come in for the upcoming season now, for U7s - U9s, but will extend to U10s amd U11s over the next couple of seasons.

 

[Brown Nose]

Our first goal conceded from a set piece against Villa.

It was an unusual one. Well worked by Villa and clearly pre-planned, e.g. the blocking of the City players from getting to the Villa runner.

We were just far too slow to realise what was happening and nobody seemed alert enough.

For every set piece conceded you have to look at the player that scores and where was the City man that was supposed to stop it. In this case, the man supposedly marking Onana was Faes and watching him totally fail to read what was happening and then totally fail to get back into position with Onana was a thing to send a shiver down the spine.

Stats update: We've now had 10 set piece shots and scored once. We've conceded 17 set piece shots and they've scored once too.

 

[Volpone]

Who was the long haired dude animatedly
screaming at Villa players every time they got a free kick?

 

[Brown Nose]

Who was the long haired dude animatedly
screaming at Villa players every time they got a free kick?

Austin MacPhee - their set piece coach. He's very good at the job. Also does it for the Scotland side.

 

[popillius]

Who was the long haired dude animatedly
screaming at Villa players every time they got a free kick?

Boc.

He's let himself go a bit.

 

[Tango Fox]

Our first goal conceded from a set piece against Villa.

It was an unusual one. Well worked by Villa and clearly pre-planned, e.g. the blocking of the City players from getting to the Villa runner.

We were just far too slow to realise what was happening and nobody seemed alert enough.

For every set piece conceded you have to look at the player that scores and where was the City man that was supposed to stop it. In this case, the man supposedly marking Onana was Faes and watching him totally fail to read what was happening and then totally fail to get back into position with Onana was a thing to send a shiver down the spine.

Stats update: We've now had 10 set piece shots and scored once. We've conceded 17 set piece shots and they've scored once too.

I also noticed a few times our players were gesturing to the bench seeming to ask what the hell to do just before set pieces. Our set piece man, Andrew Hughes, would then leap off the bench to issue some instructions. As others have said we are a work in progress!

 

[homer]

Our first goal conceded from a set piece against Villa.

It was an unusual one. Well worked by Villa and clearly pre-planned, e.g. the blocking of the City players from getting to the Villa runner.

We were just far too slow to realise what was happening and nobody seemed alert enough.

For every set piece conceded you have to look at the player that scores and where was the City man that was supposed to stop it. In this case, the man supposedly marking Onana was Faes and watching him totally fail to read what was happening and then totally fail to get back into position with Onana was a thing to send a shiver down the spine.

Stats update: We've now had 10 set piece shots and scored once. We've conceded 17 set piece shots and they've scored once too.

Was possibly the most inept defending of a free kick I’ve ever seen - and we’ve all seen quite a few horror shows in the past

We had clearly coached the way we approached it, but then stuck rigidly to that without responding in any way to what was actually happening. Set piece coaching was desperately needed, imo, but this was over-coached to the point of extreme.