Liverpool's set-piece performance outpacing perception (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

Mention corner kicks to any Liverpool fans and the chances are that their first reactions will be a grimace, followed by a rant about how inept the Reds are -- at both ends of the field -- in this aspect of the game. Kopites generally feel that almost every other goal conceded by their team comes from a set play -- and for as long as I can remember, Liverpool fans have bemoaned their own set pieces as being a complete waste of time. Indeed, one of the club's first fanzines was called "Another Wasted Corner." That was as far back as the 1980s, and very little has changed in terms of fan perception.

Were Liverpool really so bad at corners, though? Probably not; it just felt like it. When you see so many corner kicks failing to clear the first man or being comfortably plucked out of the air by the opposition goalkeeper it can certainly give the impression that your team never even bothers practising them.

Equally, when a high percentage of goals conceded seem to come from corner kicks, it's easy to draw the conclusion that your team must be terrible at defending them. Perhaps other clubs suffer from the same failings, but fans naturally tend to focus almost exclusively on what their team is doing.

For example, without the benefit of statistics, who other than Norwich City supporters would know whether they were any good defending corners or not? (For the record, based on the last year or so, they are actually incredibly good at it!)

I'm sure that this bemoaning of the attacking and defending of set pieces is not exclusive to Liverpool supporters, but it's hard to imagine any other set of fans -- other than Arsenal, perhaps? -- who have less faith in their ability to capitalise from a corner kick. It was different when Sami Hyypia was in the side; the Big Finn always provided some hope that he could get his bleached blonde bonce on the end of something. He was usually good for a handful of goals a year, but when he departed many Liverpool supporters' faith in their team's ability to score from corner kicks left with him.

Aside from the occasional flash by Martin Skrtel, Liverpool have rarely threatened from corners or free-kicks from a wide area since Hyypia left in 2009. In fact, there have been times when an argument could have been made for simply keeping all the defenders and avoiding the risk of a speedy counter attack, as often there appeared to be more chance of the Reds conceding from one of their own corners than scoring.

Read the rest of the article here.