Set pieces

[LaCiudad]

At the moment we're offering no threat or creativity from set pieces and as such relying just on open play. This means we're nullifying half, or more, of our own attacks.

The plan needs to change urgently if we're going to take opportunities like today. For me, Tielemans and Maddison need to share set pieces.

Defending them with zonal marking is ok, only if it's balanced with trackers too. At the moment we need more runners 

Edited 7 February 2021 by LaCiudad

[HybridFox]

Letting someone other than Maddison have a go, would be a start 

[nwl fox]

I think we've improved slightly defensively (but still not great). At the other end it's just complete dross, I would love to know Maddisons %s for beating the first man. Needs strong leadership to step forward and say he's got to come off them. I've got no problem with him being involved if they are in shooting range for him, but we've got to try something different corners and free kicks outside range

[NaijaFox]

If we were merely BANG AVERAGE in defending and scoring from set pieces, we would be top of the log! 

[Corky]

Give someone else a go at taking them. Surely Tielemans, Albrighton, even Luke Thomas when he plays could take turns?

[Webbo]

It's inexplicable how poor we are from these. Maddison's clearly capable of putting in a good ball, he's done it in the past, but for some reason atm they're all shit.

[Corky]

Our stats will suffer due to the fact our defenders are hopeless in front of goal but so many deliveries just come to nothing.

[winteriscoming]

I genuinely think every time we concede a corner that the opposition will score. That’s very worrying for a side challenging for the top 4. 

[Gubbins]

It's one of if not the biggest problem currently at both ends of the pitch. Defensively we have at least stopped conceding so regularly but the amount of corners where the header is won by the opposition is ridiculous and theres at least one really close call a game. Any corner that beats the first man is fraught with danger. 

Up front we are even worse. We just never get close to any attacking header on or now even off target. Yes maddisons delivery isnt always great but hes liable to send over a couple of good ones a game but they just end up being headed clear. Weve been playing a lot of shorter corners in recent games but these still invariably lead to nothing. I'd say it was a height issue but whilst we werent great at set pieces last season we were never this bad. Pretty sure our set up defending them is inherently flawed and this needs to be changed but attacking wise I just dont see a way to improve it other than with new players.

[Collymore]

Can't believe I've been so wrong for such a long time regarding Madders and his freekicks.

 

You see Don Goodman mentioned in commentary that Madder's is quality at set pieces.

 

I feel a bit silly now...

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, Gubbins said:

It's one of if not the biggest problem currently at both ends of the pitch. Defensively we have at least stopped conceding so regularly but the amount of corners where the header is won by the opposition is ridiculous and theres at least one really close call a game. Any corner that beats the first man is fraught with danger. 

Up front we are even worse. We just never get close to any attacking header on or now even off target. Yes maddisons delivery isnt always great but hes liable to send over a couple of good ones a game but they just end up being headed clear. Weve been playing a lot of shorter corners in recent games but these still invariably lead to nothing. I'd say it was a height issue but whilst we werent great at set pieces last season we were never this bad. Pretty sure our set up defending them is inherently flawed and this needs to be changed but attacking wise I just dont see a way to improve it other than with new players.

....how about practising them.....just a thought!!!

Just looking at them in attack, movement ,anticipation and the sense to head the ball back across goal when the position you find yourself is not conducive to scoring all common sense.

  Seriously if 80% of Maddison's' corners are hitting the front post, then someone needs to gamble on the ball going there and you can drag someone into a position that they do not want to be. 

[KrefelderFox666]

I think if we sorted set pieces at both ends we would be chasing Man City down. Fine margins but it would have given us a handful more points so far.

 

We look like we are going to concede from every corner, we flap.

[Ricey]

Albrighton going for the pull back from Maddison and putting off Tielemans is all the proof you need that we don’t practise set pieces.

[StanSP]

Let's try something different... 

 

[shailen]

Does that goal finally break our set pieces duck. I mean it wasn't direct from a corner but still should count? 

[Collymore]

Just now, shailen said:

Does that goal finally break our set pieces duck. I mean it wasn't direct from a corner but still should count? 

Well we scored one like that a few games a go didn't we? 

[Collymore]

Also did I see Madders giving a freekick to Youri?  

[shailen]

9 hours ago, Collymore said:

Well we scored one like that a few games a go didn't we? 

Yeah I totally forgot about that goal with the short corner. Maybe we need to be more clever in our set pieces like that and yesterday to be more effective. 

[majaco]

3 minutes ago, shailen said:

Yeah I totally forgot about that goal with the short corner. Maybe we need to be more clever in our set pieces like that and yesterday to be more effective. 

I think we have already realised that.

[Stevosevic]

12 minutes ago, shailen said:

Yeah I totally forgot about that goal with the short corner. Maybe we need to be more clever in our set pieces like that and yesterday to be more effective. 

I'm really not counting a short corner resulting in a shot from outside the box as a goal from a corner

 

Assuming it's the Ndidi goal we're talking about.

[Les-TA-Jon]

Note that Youri took corners that were just as poor as Maddison's and even took a FK towards the end that was bad. It's not just a Maddison thing. 

[AjcW]

Allegedly we've scored 3 goals from corners in our last 5 or so games. However none of them were direct first phase. But Sky still count them on their stats.

For the purist.... we're about to hit something like 100 games without a goal direct from a set piece. 

[Jonaldinho]

Bang goes the suggestion of giving corners and free kicks to Youri. Comfortably worse than Maddison. 

[daddylonglegs]

13 minutes ago, Jonaldinho said:

Bang goes the suggestion of giving corners and free kicks to Youri. Comfortably worse than Maddison. 

Maddison has had 12 months of being shite at them, only fair that Youri gets more than one game?

[sacreblueits442]

14 minutes ago, Jonaldinho said:

Bang goes the suggestion of giving corners and free kicks to Youri. Comfortably worse than Maddison. 

...says more about the teams' attitude to set pieces than the individuals taking them!!!

  We need a specialist Coach to come in and address  this weakness in our game.

  Whilst we attempt to push to maintain a top four position the fine margins required in order to achieve our purpose is overlooked and is clearly costing us.

  It took one moment of inspiration by accelerating a situation in order to achieve something that we were failing dismally to do, for 90+ minutes. We need to view our games from another view point and quick free kicks with Vardy and Barnes on the pitch are criminally overlooked,  as it appears that until Ünders' speed of thought last night, we have little or no insight in order  to input variety in our games.