Corners (again)

[cibaman]

The Times has produced a league table of corner conversion rates for this season. We're bottom on 1.5% (4 from 259 - which is the most corners taken). The average is 3.66%. WBA are top at 10.1%.

According to the author, the majority of goals are scored from near post corners, although they haven't calculated the conversion rate. Apparently 12 of WBA's 15 goals have been from inswinging corners whereas City "prefer outswingers". However, overall, slightly more goals have been scored from outswingers than inswingers.

13.9% of all goals have been scored from corners.

The article doesnt give any information on defending corners.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

The Times has produced a league table of corner conversion rates for this season. We're bottom on 1.5% (4 from 259 - which is the most corners taken). The average is 3.66%. WBA are top at 10.1%.

According to the author, the majority of goals are scored from near post corners, although they haven't calculated the conversion rate. Apparently 12 of WBA's 15 goals have been from inswinging corners whereas City "prefer outswingers". However, overall, slightly more goals have been scored from outswingers than inswingers.

13.9% of all goals have been scored from corners.

The article doesnt give any information on defending corners.

We haven't had a lot of height this season, bar KDB we haven't really got anyone who can hit a dead ball with any real whip and pace (corners taken by Navas, Sterling and even Silva are usually a complete waste of time), and outswingers never look much of a threat. Where I think we've done much better this season is defending corners. It was a proper free header fest under Pellegrini, but despite our lack of inches it's rare the opposition gets a clear header in under Pep

 

[GSW Blue]

Quick corners are the way to go before the defenders can get themselves in position.

 

[Mr Ed (The Stables)]

The last person we had who could take a wicked in-swinging corner with power, accuracy and whip was Andy Hinchcliffe.

 

[Norbiton]

Are these only goals scored direct from corners? So goals like Vinny's, where KDB's fairly rubbish corner found its way back to him to set up the chance, wouldn't count?

 

[babyape]

The last person we had who could take a wicked in-swinging corner with power, accuracy and whip was Andy Hinchcliffe.

Can't think of anyone better than him for City.

It annoys me when you see most other teams able to whip a dangerous ball in with loads of pace where anything can happen. KDB is the only player we have who can get close to this.

Silva, for all his world class qualities, just can't take a corner...

 

[Lomas has a lob on]

Can't think of anyone better than him for City.

It annoys me when you see most other teams able to whip a dangerous ball in with loads of pace where anything can happen. KDB is the only player we have who can get close to this.

Silva, for all his world class qualities, just can't take a corner...

He took probably our most important corner in recent history and put it right on the money! If he hadn't we would never have won the league!

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Can't think of anyone better than him for City.

It annoys me when you see most other teams able to whip a dangerous ball in with loads of pace where anything can happen. KDB is the only player we have who can get close to this.

Silva, for all his world class qualities, just can't take a corner...

Silva, for a player of his ability, is woeful at set pieces but there's one thing he does right at corners that KDB does wrong. Our main problem is the ridiculous out-swinging corners that we continue to waste. In the second half against Palace, there were 3 corners from the Colin Bell side taken by KDB. The first barely grazed the head of the City player in the box who was furthest away from the goal (think it was VK) and the two subsequent ones missed all the waiting players completely. If you're taking an out-swinging corner, it needs to arrive in the area where the players are running into as they arrive there. But KDB puts it into the area where they've started their runs from so they're all in front of the ball when it arrives. Silva at least plays the ball in tight down the goal line so it arrives much closer to the goal, although he places the ball right on the goal-line when he takes the corner which means he has no margin to swing it in without the risk of it going out of play first. He also rarely gies it enough power.

An out-swinger is fine if it's done so the attacking players are running onto the ball when it gets into the target area. So if the players line up on the 18-yard line, ideally you want the ball reaching a spot about 10 yards out so they're running onto it with maximum force, with the defenders running back and with the wrong body shape. Yet KDB's corners always end up behind the penalty spot when the players are in front of it. It drives me insane that players and coaches paid fortunes can't work this out and execute it when there's people in the stands paid far less who can.

 

[domalino]

I wonder if the reason we do outswingers is because we're more likely to retain possession from them.

The outswinger is much more likely to get headed away to one of the guys we have on the outskirts of the box, than an inswinger which is usually claimed by the keeper.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Silva, for a player of his ability, is woeful at set pieces but there's one thing he does right at corners that KDB does wrong. Our main problem is the ridiculous out-swinging corners that we continue to waste. In the second half against Palace, there were 3 corners from the Colin Bell side taken by KDB. The first barely grazed the head of the City player in the box who was furthest away from the goal (think it was VK) and the two subsequent ones missed all the waiting players completely. If you're taking an out-swinging corner, it needs to arrive in the area where the players are running into as they arrive there. But KDB puts it into the area where they've started their runs from so they're all in front of the ball when it arrives. Silva at least plays the ball in tight down the goal line so it arrives much closer to the goal, although he places the ball right on the goal-line when he takes the corner which means he has no margin to swing it in without the risk of it going out of play first. He also rarely gies it enough power.

An out-swinger is fine if it's done so the attacking players are running onto the ball when it gets into the target area. So if the players line up on the 18-yard line, ideally you want the ball reaching a spot about 10 yards out so they're running onto it with maximum force, with the defenders running back and with the wrong body shape. Yet KDB's corners always end up behind the penalty spot when the players are in front of it. It drives me insane that players and coaches paid fortunes can't work this out and execute it when there's people in the stands paid far less who can.

Interesting that Pep has specifically mentioned corners, set pieces & how Kompany has been missed at both ends.

So maybe the feeling is that we just don't currently have the players & that's why this weird corner business has developed. If you put KDB in West Brom's team he'd be putting in howitzers all the time & get about 20 assists a season from set pieces.