Corners - do we have a plan?

[The Dude Abides]

Our corner taking is bad alright, but the movement in the box is even worse. Lads like Agger and Skrtel, who've both managed, well Skrtel anyway, a couple of goals for their countries, they don't even give themselves a chance of getting the jump on the other team. I'd have both of them stood just inside the box to give themselves a running jump, to properly attack the fucking things. Gerrard and Johnson should both be in there too given their athleticism and height. Glen is stood on the halfway line though and Gerrard is busy delivering shit balls into the box.

 

Think one of the best takers we had the last few years was Finnan, and what did he do other than put the ball in at a nice height and pace. Simple. Gerrard tries to put all this mad dip and curve on them and they tend to not make it past the first man.

 

I mean, how can someone as meticulous as Rafa seemingly not give a fiddlers fuck about them? United and Chelsea have both won vital points, won games in the dying minutes, got the breakthrough early etc. from them while winning titles the last few years. Villa this season too have been making the most from them and wouldn't be still above us, or hovering around 4th without giving set plays the thought and effort they clearly do.

 

Another thing, why in jesus can't Gerrard hit a stationary free kick now and then(Villa a few seasons ago, is that it)? or anyone else apart from Aurelio it seems. What's with this insistence on rolling the ball that 9 out of 10 times gets blocked by a defender closing down the ball?!

[Trumo]

That short free-kick routine wound me up big time when Riise was here, because his run up was longer than 10 yards.

 

As regards corners, I'm no expert but I agree that our players' positioning is a large part of why we are so unsuccessful from corners. Of course the delivery in needs to be better too. Gerrard should only be used if it's the quick corner routine, otherwise leave them to Aurelio and/or Aquilani.

 

I would have one player crowding the goalkeeper, who also has quick reactions in the box to get to any loose ball. He doesn't necessarily have to be tall, just be a pest. Gallas does this very well for Arsenal and France. For us I think Benayoun fits the bill.

 

I would have two players on the six yard line, one close to the near post and one far. The near post man would be Torres because he has shown numerous time how he can lose his marker with a near post dart. The far post man would be Lucas, because he DOES have some aerial ability and looks like he can anticipate the flick-on in this way.

 

I would then have one man on the penalty spot ready to make an attacking run (perhaps Kuyt) with two running jumpers starting from the edge of the penalty area. One coming straight on and the other making the angled run from beyond the far post. The straight runner would be Agger with Gerrard making the angled charge. The running jump would allow them a little more leverage. Of course they would base their run on the delivery, since a near post delivery would require the angled charger to hold back in case the ball turns loose there.

 

You need someone beyond the penalty area ready collect the loose ball from the other wing and play the ball in with decent delivery when required. This I think would be Carragher regardless of which side the corner comes in from. In any case he is wasted trying to get on the end of corners so utilise one of his strong assets this way instead.

 

This leaves Aurelio and/or Aquilani to patrol the edge of the box for the chance of a long-range pop, with maybe Johnson or Aurelio/Insua in defensive mode to help out with counter-attacks.

 

This is all pie-in-the-sky stuff anyway, and something the opposition could so easily guard against if they study our positioning on DVD beforehand. But I think it could help make our corners far more productive.

[piscinin]

Gerrard's been off with his corners lately but earlier in the season they were spot on. If we had Drogba, Carvalho, Terry, Ivanovich, Ballack attacking his corners, he'd be up there with the best. Face it as a team we are crap in the air which is why he has to try and do something special with the delivery because those attacking it aren't going to be doing any magic.

[aws]

hit and hope

[cracker]

When was the last time one of centre halfs scored a sorring header direct from a corner?

 

Hyppia always got a few - Carra, Agger and Skrtel as far as I can remember have never scored with a header from a corner in all their time at the club even tho usually 2 of them go up for most of them. Says it all.

 

Wonder if any other PL teams have a stat like that for their CBs?

 

Going off on one slightly but one of the things I love most about Torres is that the vast majority of his goals are from open play - no penalties, free kicks or dead ball situations at all - makes him unique among the top scorers in the league. But if we got it so that we could deliver the ball from dead ball situations he could get even more.

[The Dude Abides]

Gerrard's been off with his corners lately but earlier in the season they were spot on. If we had Drogba, Carvalho, Terry, Ivanovich, Ballack attacking his corners, he'd be up there with the best.

 

No no, he'd still be pretty rubbish at them. You try and plop the ball on one of your players heads, that's all. Gerrard has proven himself unable to do this.

[JMARKH]

No and if we were better and defending set pieces and attacking them we would probably be challenging for the title onn most occasions. I wonder if we even practice set pieces in training.

[Ian Sea]

Gary Mac's corners were ace, one arm up and it went near post - two arms up and it went to the far. And he rarely hit the first defender.

 

I'd have Aquilani taking corners now, he strikes a decent ball and Gerrard is obviously more of a physical threat in the box than him. And Gerrard's corners are consistantly awful.

[Trumo]

One of my pet hates about our corner routines concerns how easily and dangerously our opponents can counter attack if they manage to clear the ball. Sometimes it seems we are most vulnerable from our own corners, never mind when we are trying to defend set-pieces.

 

We've heard all the bleating about the pros and cons of marking zonally. In defensive terms, I can understand the players remaining relatively static as they are guarding their zone, it the system only becomes an issue if the guard is breached or the threat comes from an area which has not been covered tactically.

 

It does appear that we have a zonal attacking system as well, which somewhat limits the movement of our own players in and around the box. My earlier suggestion was a means to counter all that, and give the opposition something greater to think about.

[Johnni]

remember in 05 the corner were it was tapped and then someone ran over and ran with the ball, but the ref didn't realise what had happened and made us take it again. That was a good corner though, only 4 years ago as well...

 

I remember that, it was in a CL qualifier. Pissed me right off when Man U did it and everyone was saying how clever of them to do it.

 

The main reason i feel why we are shit at corners cos our delivery is rubbish. Don't clear the oppositions 1st man on the post enough.

[George Costanza]

Do you honestly need a plan at corners????

 

Just stick the ball inbetween the 6 yard box and penalty spot with a bit of pace... have four players run onto area (one short, two middle, or back stick) and there you go. Not fucking rocket science. Old cliche but football is game complicated by idiots.

[Unrighteous]

Do you honestly need a plan at corners????

 

Just stick the ball inbetween the 6 yard box and penalty spot with a bit of pace... have four players run onto area (one short, two middle, or back stick) and there you go. Not fucking rocket science. Old cliche but football is game complicated by idiots.

 

It may be because I'm drunk... but that actually is a plan.

[George Costanza]

It may be because I'm drunk... but that actually is a plan.

 

nah its what every team from under 8's to u16's does.

[piscinin]

Do you honestly need a plan at corners????

 

Just stick the ball inbetween the 6 yard box and penalty spot with a bit of pace... have four players run onto area (one short, two middle, or back stick) and there you go. Not fucking rocket science. Old cliche but football is game complicated by idiots.

 

A mighty fine plan until you introduce the concept of opposition defenders. Then things get a bit more "complicated".

[piscinin]

No no, he'd still be pretty rubbish at them. You try and plop the ball on one of your players heads, that's all. Gerrard has proven himself unable to do this.

 

If he were as bad as you imply Capello wouldn't let him take them for England.

[Unrighteous]

If he were as bad as you imply Capello wouldn't let him take them for England.

 

To be honest, which English players take a good corner, really?

[grazywalker]

To be fair a good corner is worth it's wait in gold.

[Trumo]

To be honest, which English players take a good corner, really?

 

To be honest, Lampard.

[The 5th Benitel]

Given the likes of the last Arshavin goal in the 4-4 i reckon there's only slightly more chance of us scoring from our corners than the opposition. I cant work out why we dont try something different every now and again like the one Shrek scored against us a while back. We just lob it across and rarely even look like getting anything from it. Given we tend to get about 5 a game our convertion rate from corners must be worse than 1 in 50.

[coachpotato]

Once the ball is in the air it's anybody's.

The trick is to try and get the ball in an area you know will have your players there, and preferably more of them than the opposition.

For that you need a corner/free kick taker who is reasonably accurate at varying the delivery, some way of communicating where it's aimed at and players who have the bravery to attack the ball when it's delivered and get their heads on it.

This takes practise at all those levels so is it any wonder why we're crap at them?

I think all our players do is fitness work (and not so much of that since Pako's gone) and five a sides.

At least it looks that way!

[DJLJ]

I have to say there was a couple great moments on this today. The one from the left hand side where Gerrard failed to clear the man from a freekick and the second kick went out for a corner and we wasted the corner with a short kick that then went out for a throw in.

Second, the corner we had at the very last second and everyone was up to try and get the win and Benny didn't clear the first man and it was end of game straight after.

Atleast we scored on a freekick.

[Mathewbet1]

Aurelio should be taking them when in the team.