Patterns of Play that Created Delayed Shot Opportunities in Corner Sequences
Teams at the 2020 Men's EURO used 5 different patterns of play to create delayed shot opportunities
Over the last couple of months, I have been working on a project for the Women in Sports Data Hackathon. Participants were directed to use the Statsbomb 360 Data from the 2020 Men’s EURO.
In my project, I looked at the patterns of play that teams at the EURO used in order to create delayed shot opportunities in corner sequences. This post contains my proposal geared towards a coaching staff based on my findings.
The proposal has been shortened for this post. The full proposal as well as the code used for the project can be found on my Github here.
Introduction
There were 461 corners taken at the 2020 UEFA Men’s EURO. Of that total, 177 corners produced a shot in the sequence following the corner. Most of the shot opportunities occurred quickly after the corner was taken – in 10 seconds or less. This makes sense as most shot opportunities from corners are headers or redirections from the corner pass itself.
This proposal focuses on the shot opportunities that were delayed or created 10 seconds or later after the corner was taken. Ten seconds (or more) was the chosen amount of time because this project is intended to focus on the patterns of play that create shot opportunities later on in the sequence following a corner. A buffer of 10 seconds helps to ensure that the shot opportunities analyzed for this proposal were not due to the havoc that can ensue after a corner inside the box (e.g., a ball that pings around the box without being cleared and results in a shot opportunity, or a shot that is assisted by the corner that is saved or deflected and is immediately turned into a shot opportunity).
Background
There were 34 corner sequences at the EURO where shots occurred 10 seconds or later after a corner. England had the most delayed opportunities with 6, and they were followed by Spain and Italy with 4 each. It’s unsurprising that these three teams were also in the top 5 teams of average xG on delayed opportunities.
The moments after a corner can be chaotic. Dense numbers in the penalty box, forwards on defensive lines, and defenders on forward lines are just a couple examples of the messiness. It’s a transitional moment that more teams should take advantage of. After looking at the data I found that there were 5 patterns of play with which the teams at the EURO used to create delayed opportunities.
The 5 patterns of play that created delayed opportunities:
Playing vertical through defensive lines that were pushing up
Passing/switching the field to shift the defense away from space that would eventually be exploited
Exploiting the narrowness of the defense after a corner
Exploiting the disorganization of the defense after a corner
Taking advantage of the space afforded around the box because the defense was pinned back
It should be noted that if a team can get a shot opportunity as quickly as possible from a corner, they should try to do so. This proposal is supposed to be viewed as a way for teams to still create opportunities later in sequences following a corner if they fail to create a shot opportunity quickly or if their first shot opportunity does not result in a goal.
Playing Vertical Through Defensive Lines
After a defense clears a corner, the first thing they try to do is to push up the defensive line. This prevents the attacking team from keeping players deep in the box while shrinking the space that the attacking team has to keep possession. Teams and players should always be looking to see if they can play vertically through an advancing defensive line.
Spain vs Slovakia
Slovakia was only able to clear Spain’s corner as far as Pedri who was outside the box. He played an excellent through ball into the box while the Slovakian defense was in the process of pushing up. Moreno received Pedri’s pass & crossed.
Laporte scored his header and it had 0.19 xG.
Implementation: Encourage players to constantly be looking for line breaking options when defenses are pushing up. Players off the ball should be directed to make runs in the seams between defenders, or to place themselves in a position where they can break lines by passing or carrying.
Passing/Switching the Field to Shift the Defense
Teams at the EURO would often create overloads on one side of the field to exploit the opposite side during corner sequences. The concept of passing away from the area that will later be utilized is simple but very effective.
Italy vs Austria
Italy’s initial shot from the corner was blocked (0.06 xG), and the ball ended up with Insigne out wide. Insigne opted to go back to Spinazzola and reset play. His pass was a long backwards diagonal to the right seen in frame 1. After Austria continued pushing up their defensive line and shifted to the right, space was created for Insigne to receive Spinazzola’s pass.
Insigne carried to just outside the box and put in a pass towards the penalty spot. Pessina received his pass and his shot resulted in a goal (0.24 xG).
Implementation: Utilizing patterns in training that mimic shifting teams away from an area in order to later exploit that area can give players a better idea of how to do it within the team’s framework. Showing examples in film would also be useful.
On an individual level, encouraging players to use their body shape (the direction their body is facing and the orientation of their body to appear like they are going to perform a certain action, such as a shot or a pass) will also aid in shifting defenders.
Below is an example of how body shape was used by Sweden’s center back Magdalena Eriksson at the 2022 Women’s EURO to shift a defensive block away from the space that Sweden would eventually exploit.
Exploiting the Narrowness of the Defense After a Corner
After corners are cleared or the ball is no longer in the box, defenses tend to be narrow. This is due to the fact that they were compact within the confines of the box in order to protect the goal during the corner.
England vs Germany
Germany used zonal marking throughout the tournament, and when they cleared England’s corner and were pushing up, their shape was narrow. England also had a numerical advantage on the right side (3v2) which can be seen in frame 1. Phillips took advantage of the numerical superiority and played Trippier who crossed into the box.
Maguire headed Trippier’s cross, but it was off target and had 0.10 xG.
Implementation: Training drills specific to creating a game like situation where the defense is narrow while pushing up can give players better recognition of the situation as it happens.
Exploiting the Disorganization of the Defense after a Corner
North Macedonia vs Netherlands
After North Macedonia’s initial shot was blocked (0.01 xG) and cleared, Alioski had the ball on the left side of the pitch (frame 1). The Dutch back line was in the process of pushing up, but they were disorganized. Two Dutch players were closing down Alioksi and left two North Macedonia players behind them with space. Alioski played a ball in to space for Aleksander Trajkvsoki (frame 1) who then played Ademi in the box (this pass is not pictured above). Ademi squared a pass in the box, but no teammates were in the vicinity.
Ademi’s pass was only cleared as far as Bardhi who took a long range shot that was off target and had 0.03 xG.
Implementation: Like the implementation for narrowness, specific drills in training that create a game like situation where the defense is disorganized while pushing up can give players better recognition of the situation as it happens.
Taking Advantage of the Space Given Around the Box
There are times when the defense is not able to clear corners with enough power or distance to relieve the pressure. When offensive teams are able to recover clearances near the box, they can take advantage of the space in a dangerous area because the defense has not yet been able to start pushing up. This makes for a congested box which can cause deflections on shots and passes, making them more dangerous.
Slovakia vs Sweden
Slovakia recovered Sweden’s clearance and Pekarík found Duda just outside the box. Duda took advantage of Slovakia’s numerical advantage on the edge of the box (3v2) and the fact that Sweden’s defensive line was pinned back in the box and he carried into the penalty area. His shot was off target and had 0.04 xG.
Implementation: Film sessions with examples would give players a good grasp of this concept. It’s also important to differentiate to the players the difference between shots and passes that can cause havoc due to dense numbers and shots and passes that are made out of desperation or without much thought.
Conclusion
Corners (and set pieces in general) have become an equalizer for teams of lesser quality and a ceiling raiser for teams with a lot of quality. The purpose of this proposal was to give teams a starting point of how to take advantage of the transitional moments of play after corners are taken. Because football is a game of small margins, if teams can figure out ways to create delayed chances after corners within their own framework, it can give them an extra edge.
Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian