The prevalence of set-pieces this season has come under the microscope again after Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 with two goals from corners on Sunday. On Monday Liverpool boss Arne Slot said most Premier League games are tough to watch and on Tuesday a host of fellow top-flight managers weighed in and broadly echoed his views, with Manchester United’s Michael Carrick saying wrestling at set-pieces is ‘worse than ever’.
Here David Pleat, former Spurs, Luton and Sheffield Wednesday manager and serving vice president of the League Managers Association, has his say…
Small margins. It is the mantra of modern managers. Under intense pressure to win in an era when everything can be exaggerated by data proving how many goals are scored from every situation.
The facts say set-pieces are helping them to win games and while I agreed with my old friend and rival Dave Bassett writing in Daily Mail Sport this week, I did wonder: If we were managing in this era would we have had no choice but to join the revolution?
Football is in an era where performance is driven by data analysis and physical levels are so strong that every team is able to get behind the ball if the build-up is not extra-fast when they lose possession.
They are all conditioned to defend with all outfield players. And, when teams do break quickly, the opposition are always prepared to commit a cynical foul. I abhor those fouls and the pundits I hear praising them as ‘taking one for the team’. I’d like to see red cards given for such cynicism.
I don’t like watching teams rely on set-plays and fear for the future of the beautiful game
I want teams to go on the attack and play beautiful football, not defend and focus on set-plays
Retreating defences and cynical tactics make it more difficult than ever before to create chances from open play, which means the goals from set plays are helping managers to win games.
Six-yard boxes have become packed out like Piccadilly Circus at rush hour. It is impossible for the officials to distinguish who is pushing who. There’s not one player at it, there are several.
Corner kicks are causing chaos, and the team that has mastered this strategy better than others is top of the Premier League and looks like they will go on to be champions. Can anyone handle Gabriel Magalhaes in the air?
I prefer to see teams winning through open football, not relying on set plays.
I still subscribe to the philosophy of Bill Nicholson, the legendary Tottenham manager, and his captain Danny Blanchflower, who coined the phrase about the game being about glory.
Football has changed but that holds true for me. Supporters come to the game to be entertained, although I know there are many who say they don’t care how they win as long as they win.
I was distraught when Luton lost an FA Cup semi-final to Everton in 1985, but I still recall how proud I was that our young team had played so well against the best team in the country at the time.
I’ve watched some good games recently. Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday was a terrific open game, and Newcastle 4-3 Leeds in January was one of the best I’ve seen this season.
Unfortunately, I see teams in the Premier League with a defensive mode rather than an attitude to attack and entertain.
Managers are under intense pressure. They will lose their jobs if they don’t get results. Obsessed by data, it has become all about the marginal gains. I fear if this trend continues it will not be my beautiful game for much longer.
