The anatomy of a corner-kick: how set-piece analysis is reshaping the Premier League

Chelsea, in their Premier League loss to Arsenal, deployed a hybrid system with five players defending zonally: Jorrel Hato and Trevoh Chalobah at the near post, Cole Palmer on the near side of the six-yard box, Pedro Neto on the penalty spot and Joao Pedro at the back of the goalmouth, with five others man-marking Arsenal‘s dangerous threats.

It is a setup that Nicolas Jover, Arsenal‘s set-piece coach, would have noted before devising his own attacking plan.

Zonal defenders hold their position rather than following players with the rationale being they are in dangerous areas of the box that need to be protected.

The near post is often a zone where attackers look to flick the ball on from and Pedro’s position is often where teams, including Arsenal, look to arrive before heading the ball home.

Being able to predict the defensive positions of certain players from corners helps attacking teams create routines that look to open up and exploit existing space.

With three Chelsea players locked to the near post, Arsenal knew the back post would be short of numbers.