5.Set-Pieces Session5 - 2026 Content v2
This document is a comprehensive training handout for Beltagy Football Analysis Services' Session 5 on set‑pieces. It outlines the fundamental concepts (timings, swing types, target zones, player roles, and route tracking) and details both defensive and attacking player role frameworks. The guide presents a nine‑point list of attacking principles, discusses delivery types and their constraints, and breaks down defensive structures from man‑marking to various zonal configurations. It includes concrete game‑plan analyses: attacking strategies against zonal‑marking systems using Manchester City’s 5‑3‑1‑1 formation (in‑swing and out‑swing corners) and against man‑marking systems using Atlético Madrid’s 2‑6‑2 formation. The handout also provides a workshop workflow (video download, analysis of Brighton’s defensive corners, StatsBomb data, Tacticalista schematics) and a set of homework assignments (practice‑corner form, corners‑report assignment). Finally, it supplies visual maps – an Attacking Targeted Area Map and a Numerical Zones Map – to aid systematic zone‑based planning. The overall purpose is to equip analysts and coaches with a structured methodology for preparing, executing, and evaluating set‑piece strategies.
Topics
Fundamentals of Set‑Piece Execution
Core concepts such as timing cues, outswing vs. inswing deliveries, targeted zones, individual player roles, and route tracking.
Defensive Player Role Framework
Definition of defensive responsibilities: zonal markers, man markers, short options, second‑ball/edge‑of‑box duties, counter‑attack triggers, and post players.
Attacking Player Role Framework
Specification of attacking duties: runners, screens/picks, short options, second‑ball/edge‑of‑box positioning, staying back, and standing on the goalkeeper or zonal marker.
Attacking Principles for Set‑Pieces
Nine guiding principles – simplicity, framing the goal, overloads/underloads, movements & picks, orientation, packs & stacks, mismatches, disguise, and variations.
Delivery Types, Target Areas & Tactical Constraints
Considerations for choosing delivery type (inswing/out‑swing) based on opponent defensive structure, taker characteristics, target‑player preferences, and overall game model.
Defensive Structures Breakdown
Comparison of man‑marking vs. zonal‑marking systems, with detailed enumeration of marker counts (1‑6+ zonal markers) and associated diagrams.
Game‑Plan Analysis: Attacking Against Zonal‑Marking (Manchester City)
Case study of Manchester City’s 5‑3‑1‑1 formation using in‑swing and out‑swing corners, including defensive‑structure diagrams and movement phases (pre‑ and post‑movement).
Game‑Plan Analysis: Attacking Against Man‑Marking (Atlético Madrid)
Case study of Atlético Madrid’s 2‑6‑2 formation with in‑swing corners, highlighting defensive‑structure layout and tactical adjustments.