EVERYONE knows the importance of set-pieces in modern football. Free-kicks, corners and even throw-ins hold the potential for marginal gains that managers can harness.
It’s commonplace to see elaborate routines while watching Super Sunday or hear of the latest ‘banker turned set-piece specialist’ to rock up in the Premier League. This very summer Tottenham turned to Gianni Vio and Arsenal brought in Nicolas Jover to improve their output.
So, focusing in particular on corners, how have Rangers performed this season?
At the outset of this piece, it should be stated that ‘goals from corners’ includes those from the ‘second phase’ of moves. Such as James Tavernier’s strike against St Johnstone recently and Malik Tillman’s header versus the same opponent in August.
Last season, Rangers scored 15 goals from corners in the league. That’s 0.39 goals per 90, almost one every two games. Although a slight overperformance of the 0.30xG they generated from corners every game, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were creating the highest value in the league from these scenarios, slightly ahead of Celtic’s 0.29xG.
This season that output has dropped. Rangers’ Corner xG stands at 0.2 per 90 with their goals-per-game ratio the same. Their expected goals rate has dropped by a third and actual output cut in half. That’s despite the number of corners they’ve taken rising from 7.53 to 8.2 per 90.
The below StatsBomb radar compares the side's corner output in 2022/23 (red) to 2021/22 (blue). All statistics are taken from the Scottish Premiership.
The numbers of shots and corners generated are largely similar to last season, but the quality of chance and regularity of goals well reduced.
Celtic have trended in the opposite direction. This season, their Corner xG stands at 0.34 per 90 and their goals per game ratio 0.67. That’s quite a dramatic overperformance that is unlikely to withstand the length of a season, but Ange Postecoglou's men have already notched 10 goals from corners after 15 games, over triple the three managed by van Bronckhorst’s men.
The numbers show that while Rangers’ chance creation from corners is still the third-highest in the league (Hibs and Kilmarnock are tied in second), it’s fallen from last season and is way behind Old Firm rivals Celtic.
So, why is this the case? First, let’s talk delivery.
Rangers have had 123 corners in 15 Premiership matches with two main takers in James Tavernier (70) and Borna Barisic (29). The list then goes Tillman (12), Tom Lawrence (five) and Ryan Kent (three). Rabbi Matondo, Scott Wright, Ridvan Yilmaz and Scott Arfield each have one to their name.
The below corner map shows each delivery, with yellow indicating failure (won by the opposition) and red success (first contact falls to a teammate).
90 corners taken have been outswingers, seven have been inswingers and 26 have been a variation of short corners.
That means 73 per cent have been outswingers this season, a small rise from 68 per cent last season. Meanwhile, just five per cent have been inswingers, a drop from 18 per cent last season.
If we look at the corner touch map, which highlights the location of attacking and defensive headers, the impact of these outswingers is evident.
Notice all of Rangers’ contacts, the red square with a white circle, have originated from outside the six-yard box. The zone closer to the goal is heavily populated by blue circles, representing opposition defensive headers.
Analysing the shots that have originated from corners in greater detail outlines this lack of activity inside the six-yard box.
Why does this matter? Just look at the goals scored from corners last season. Nine originated from inside the six-yard box or on the line.
Of course, we’re not privy to the work put in on the training ground when it comes to the whys and why-nots.
It’s difficult to determine just how much of the drop is down to personnel, variation, deliveries, failed routines or a lack thereof.
Generally, there appears to be a few recognisable patterns at attacking corners as outlined below.
First, the tried and trusted front-post flick-on, not quite as effective after the loss of Joe Aribo this summer.
Seemingly, the idea in this scenario is to get the ball into an unmarked player at the penalty spot or back post via a flick-on, in the below example, Lundstram can’t find the free Connor Goldson who escapes his marker.
Then there’s the attacking header at the front post, from which Lundstram would score against Motherwell. Running back to front and connecting with a Barisic delivery.
There have been some visible routines featuring blocked opponents and synchronised movement, although few have come off. Early on in the Old Firm defeat, Antonio Colak can attack the ball as Lundstram blocks Carl Starfelt.
A final example comes in the form of attempting to isolate the dominant header of the ball one-on-one against an opponent.
Although the corner below is overhit, in this situation you can see that Colak and Lundstram both run to the front post, clearing space for Goldson to attack the ball. Tillman, meanwhile, seeks to block his man from impeding the big defender.
Watching all 123 corners there are plenty of overhit attempts, examples of uncoordinated movement and untroubled defences. Too many deliveries are looping towards the back post with the distance and power required to find the net from such areas unrealistic.
In this example from a recent match with Hearts, Colak and Lundstram don’t even get a run-up on Tavernier’s cross and are well outnumbered regardless.
Often, it looks as though opposition defences are not stretched and therefore space is condensed around the ball.
In this example with the ball in the box, St Johnstone have seven defenders within a few yards and only one Rangers player, Fashion Sakala, is giving them something else to think about.
Part of the issue undoubtedly faced by van Bronckhorst and co is the lack of dominant headers of the ball available. Leon Balogun and Filip Helander spring to mind, as well as the departed Aribo and injured Goldson.
Outswingers are generally preferred because they allow an attacking team to isolate a strong header of the ball, just like PSV did at Ibrox earlier this season. Rangers have often lacked players of this description in their line-up this season. Colak isn’t particularly prolific in the air, Leon King and James Sands aren’t dominant either and Davies is yet to showcase that quality offensively.
There’s also the topic of variation. Bar one short attempt against St Johnstone, 19/20 corners were outswingers despite the fact that they’d barely troubled the hosts throughout the entire game.
Is there any harm in Rangers mixing up their delivery and routine in-game, something rarely seen this season, to pose different questions of the same defence?
And, although not all of the nine goals from within the six-yard box last season were first-contact headers, with some coming after flick-ons or headers back into danger, the lack of shots from corners close to goal this season offers a part-explanation of the drop in threat.
To achieve any success this season Rangers need everything to go their way from this point onwards.
Reclaiming the threat posed at corners last season, using variation, better delivery and improved routines, can help rather than harm those efforts.
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