Savinho does not even lift his head before he makes a cross. He slashes wildly at the ball like a schoolboy. Doku has improved a bit in this respect and now plays with his head up. In the past virtually all our team had the technical skills to play in the PL.There is no reason why we shouldn't utilise every method available, we're not in a position at the moment to pick and choose how we score goals, if you win 1-0 with a goal from a corner or 1-0 from a move with 36 passes, it's still only 3 points and a +1 GD.
On a side note which I alluded to in the Villa match thread - I see the problem now as not having dependable players, what I mean by that, during the treble season and basically most of the earlier Pep years, we had players that would do the right thing at the right time 95% (or more) of the time, now we have players that you hope are going to beat a man, hoping to get a cross in, players that you hope put the right pass through or hope put the tackle in - previously you knew that they were going to do the right thing, and that's the difference.
Exactly, we've all played football at some level and even we know the areas to cross the ball into, you learn what type of cross the striker prefers and when to cross it. With Sav it's just a hot potato that he has to get rid of, anywhere.Savinho does not even lift his head before he makes a cross. He slashes wildly at the ball like a schoolboy. Doku has improved a bit in this respect and now plays with his head up. In the past virtually all our team had the technical skills to play in the PL.
Otamendi was not the tallest and he didn't even have the biggest leap but he always won headers.Yep, people bang on about height but it's the desire to get on the end of a cross or corner that makes all the difference.
We had one season where we were amazing from them. I can't remember which, but we reverted to type the following season.For a team that has so much possession and wins so many corners, we've been dreadful for years at converting these into goals
Whether we score the most beautiful goal ever, or nod one in from a corner, they both count the same
Corners are a huge weapon that we've never picked up and used
Negligence really
And yer can't find a better place to land the blame than the Whistling Wankers who have allowed the LotG to be suspended at corners unless there is an isolated instance of a defender throwing an attacker to the ground which, if ignored, would be on a loop for the following week. We know it's a contact sport but the contact should only be permissible if the ball is within playing distance, not when the fuckin' ball in twenty five yards away at the corner flag. And what pisses me off no end is the WW stopping the corner being taken whilst he delivers a homily to who he thinks are the two worst offenders. He has to pick two, one from each team, to show his 'impartiality'! Let the ball come into play and then give the pen. Holding, pushing, tripping are penal offences!At the weekend I watched Arsenal win another game with a set-piece goal. On the Sunday evening, Spurs went to Everton and scored at least 2 goals direct from corners. At Brentford, Kayode was flinging balls in from long distance and most teams are suddenly using long throw-ins.
This season, according to Arsenal.com, "Arsenal have scored 11 goals via set pieces in the Premier League this season, two more than any other side (Chelsea, 9). 69% of our goals in 2025/26 have come from set pieces (11/16), the highest ratio by a team in a single Premier League campaign." Teams copy success. It's much easier to copy Arsenal's set-pieces than it is to copy Pep's possession based football because Pep's football is based on technique. It's easier to learn physical routines.
The corner routines have become farcical with organised blocking of the keeper and defenders. It's not football, it's basketball. Fortunately for City, we have Donnarumma and he protects us from the melees that are most corners now. Defensively we need to cope with these tactics, but I don't want City to adopt them. Alongside the increased focus on set-pieces, I think there is the development of power and physicality in the game such that many teams have running machines in midfield. I don't mind that so much. There has definitely been a move away from Pep's possession based football. Bournemouth play with power. They press their opponents, and they play aggressively with forward passes. It's very exciting to watch a Semenyo or a Yaya barrelling past players so I am not so much against the increase in physicality. Good sides play with power and finesse e.g., PSG. For me, Arsenal have gone too far. They are de-risking, putting more into not conceding but using possession to win set-pieces. But perhaps I just don't like them.
Not all teams are adopting the set-pieces and physicality. Liverpool are not, Man Utd are not. Football needs City and Pep to be successful, otherwise it will become even more prevalent. It seems like a no-brainer to focus on technical ways of scoring goals, cheap-wins if you like, but if you do that, you move away from players like David Silva and focus on brute force. I prefer to watch City, PSG, Barcelona. Fortunately, there is no danger that Pep will change his ways.
Yes, if the law was rigidly applied the nonsense would stop.And yer can't find a better place to land the blame than the Whistling Wankers who have allowed the LotG to be suspended at corners unless there is an isolated instance of a defender throwing an attacker to the ground which, if ignored, would be on a loop for the following week. We know it's a contact sport but the contact should only be permissible if the ball is within playing distance, not when the fuckin' ball in twenty five yards away at the corner flag. And what pisses me off no end is the WW stopping the corner being taken whilst he delivers a homily to who he thinks are the two worst offenders. He has to pick two, one from each team, to show his 'impartiality'! Let the ball come into play and then give the pen. Holding, pushing, tripping are penal offences!
Or don't allow anyone in the six yard box except for the keeper until someone else has touched the ball.Yes, if the law was rigidly applied the nonsense would stop.
The worst thing is that with Haaland you only need to get the ball somewhere near him because he wins every challenge. I think we could have scored three goals in the first half at Villa if the final ball had been in the right area from Savinho. He hit one into the crowd when Haaland was totally free of his marker. It was truly diabolical.Exactly, we've all played football at some level and even we know the areas to cross the ball into, you learn what type of cross the striker prefers and when to cross it. With Sav it's just a hot potato that he has to get rid of, anywhere.
The treble season we were superb at defending set pieces and scoring from them. We also scored from a lot of clever short corners.We had one season where we were amazing from them. I can't remember which, but we reverted to type the following season.
Or don't allow anyone in the six yard box except for the keeper until someone else has touched the ball.
UEFA will soon change the rules if Arsenal manage to win the CL on corners.
Knowing our luck Haaland is our throw in specialist. ; )
We should probably go back to short corners as at least there is less chance of a counter attack. We are so poor from all dead balls the opposition are almost at their most dangerous when we are taking a corner or throw in. As for free kicks, when did we last score from one ? Kdb ?The treble season we were superb at defending set pieces and scoring from them. We also scored from a lot of clever short corners.
Our woodwork teacher at school was surprised when we perforated his lab coat with a line of dots of hydrochloric down the back: it split in two when he put it on.Ive always said our shirts should be lightly sown so when grabbed the shirt comes apart lol.
Imagine 3 or 4 players have to change shirts after each corner