Efficient Set-Piece in Football

Set-piece means playing the situation of deadball such as free-kick, corner-kick and Throw-in by planned strategy. Scoring can happen easily through set-piece, because plays are performed in the circumstance that ball is stopped while players make up formation for set-piece.

1. It is hard to make full condition of team work during short-term competition such as World Cup, Euro and so on, so the team is more likely to depend on set-piece, which is easy to make variousity with designed tactics.

<table 1>

Compared to past World Cup games, 2018 competition recorded the highest ratio for set piece goal of all. The last record was 34% after final situation

If one team is superior at level, normally use defensive tactics, or with the decrease in ball possession, the other team doesn't make enough chance to attack. So, the other side would better to use long-pass or induce foul to gain set-piece.

<table 2>

England national team led team-scorer with 6 goals from set-piece in all competition of World Cup.

Following above tables (1, 2), set-piece is able to be better tactics at the team which wasn't organized well. Though the tactic for set-piece is variously prepared, it doesn't give a team certain victory, However it can be one of tactics, which help the low-level team to make goal easier while matching game with high-level team. For example, there are two teams Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion (=Albion) among the lower rank in EPL 2017-18.

<table 3>

<table 4-1>

<table 4-2>

Despite these two teams had made much goal through set-piece (table 3), looking at the table 4-1, 4-2, they didn't have enough offence chance.

In other words, it should approach in different way to the league which runs for longtime such as EPL, Bundes Liga and some Major Leagues. as one of a couple of reasons, National team directors have only a few months to years, which is shorter compared to what league's clubs have, to prepare for building-up organization, so it is hard to set up the specific strategy or show perfect performance like what league team's doing. Meanwhile, Players who play in National league have enough time to coordinate so that spectator can see diverse systematic team-work. As a result, it does not commonly happen that low-level teams get dead-ball situation at foul caused by advanced pressing or long-pass strategy from absolutely high-level teams.

Set-piece is one of a sort of tactics, and it is not skill for a weak-side to beat a strong-side as well as to make a decision, which has to adapt it for short-term competition. But, every set-piece is on the situation that ball is stopped so that it doesn't demand any creative performance or coordination more than in open-play. After all, if any players or teams train set-piece for some various situations, no matter how the opponent is strong or weak, this can be the way intensive opportunity to make a goal.

Since more multi-dimensional variables need to be considered to judge how much the set-piece is efficient, I wish every reader to read this contents for enjoy.