Deliver, timing and the ‘dark arts’ – the anatomy of a set-piece

Aside from the technical factors, Pedersen also believes there is a mental game at play when a team becomes successful from corners – their reputation breeds uncertainty within the opposition.

“At Blackburn, we led the league in set-piece goals at one stage,” he says. “When you get that fear from opponents, it helps you. You see that with Arsenal. Once you see that fear in the opponent, you keep attacking it. We could see that at Blackburn.”

The role of players who are not necessarily the target of the delivery has become increasingly important, too. Glancing away from the set-piece taker to look at the players awaiting the cross reveals a carefully orchestrated routine of jostling and ‘blocking’ designed to create a free run at the ball for a team’s strongest headers.

“The ‘dark arts’ are the main key to success from corners – blocking,” says Stuart Reid, a freelance set-piece analyst who has worked with several professional clubs.

“Even if you’re a side that doesn’t have great aerial ability, most teams will at least have one player who’s good in the air. If you use blocking, the chances are you can free up that player.”

“Tony Pulis was massive on blocking,” Shawcross adds of his former Stoke manager. “We’d orchestrate two or three different blocks before the ball would come in, and that would give that player the space to attack the ball. We’d ideally have someone free at the front post, someone free at the back post, someone free in the middle and someone blocking the goalkeeper.

“All the stuff that’s being waxed lyrically about now with Mikel Arteta, it was being done years ago by the Welsh genius Tony Pulis.”

Corner kicks still represent a relatively low-percentage scoring opportunity – only 4.6% of corners led to a goal last season, for example.

But as Arsenal are showing – with Arteta’s men converting from 6% of their corners in 2023-24 – the work on the training ground can pay dividends.

“Big games get decided by set-pieces these days,” Pedersen concludes. “The better you get at set pieces, the more chance you have of winning these big games. It’s a big X factor.”