Charge Out Like Zaire '74: How Footballers Train Set Pieces
Modern football has seen a rise in the prominence of set-piece coaches, often incorporated into coaching staff as dead-ball organisers. Frequently, these roles are taken by goalkeeping coaches who develop complex set-piece playbooks and assign specific roles to players. Training sessions, especially on Fridays, include a dedicated 30-minute segment where teams walk through set plays after light training, focusing on countering threats and blocking opponent tactics. Despite this, free-kick practice itself remains limited.
Clubs tend to rely heavily on one designated free-kick or corner taker, while many players build reputations as "dead-ball experts" to prolong their careers. Defensive tactics are also meticulously drilled; for example, defenders sprint out of the wall during close-range free kicks, a technique referencing the 1974 Zaire team.
An illustrative case from Inter Milan highlights a 30-yard pass from Hakan Calhanoglu to Piotr Zielinski for a volley, a move credited to Inter’s set-piece coach’s design. Despite these innovations, the article cautions against over-prescription in set-piece systems, arguing that excessive planning risks diminishing football's entertainment and spontaneous creativity.
Within domestic leagues like the SPFL, there are roughly five corners per team each game, underscoring the importance and potential influence of set pieces in competitive matches.
