"Set pieces" or "dead ball situations" are an art – performed by cheeky artists.
Up to 35% of all goals scored over a season stem from set-pieces,
which means, if you botch yours, you miss every third goal.
And there are countless variations, just have a quick look on the web.
But only 2.2% of all set pieces actually result in a goal.
Let’s do the math with the set piece maestro.
97% miss? That's a lot of wasted potential.
15 more goals a season?
Gianni Vio should know, he has been studying and training set pieces for 20 years.
Teams coached by Vio even score 40% of all goals through set pieces.
That’s 5 % more than the average.
Meanwhile, Gianni Vio teaches the Italian men and women's national teams
how to get more out of set pieces.
But 15 more goals per season?
So many?
That’s not enough, says Germany Defender Felicitas Rauch.
Felicitas Rauch plays for Germany and has won the Bundesliga and the German cup.
The left back takes corners and is one of three free kick takers at top side Wolfsburg.
What’s her approach?
But not everyone can!
Remember: 97% of set pieces fail.
Unnecessarily.
Nowhere else in football can success be so thoroughly planned.
When guys like these two use the static moment in the game.
That season, SPAL Ferrara, the boys in blue,
have scored as many as 43% of their goals from set pieces.
Okay, those who are further down the table naturally score fewer goals.
So it's clear that set pieces are more important.
But what about the top teams?
Like Bayern. Or Wolfsburg.
Set pieces help top teams, too.
They allow coaches who use players like chess pieces,
such as Pep Guardiola here back in his Bayern days, to exert full control.
Of course, a player is most determined at big tournaments.
That’s where willpower really kicks in.
Like at the last Women's Euros,
the Africa Cup of Nations
or the 2018 World Cup,
where a particularly high number of set piece goals were scored, 42% in total!
But why?
Gianni Vio won the Euros with Italy.
One of the decisive goals came from a corner.
Was Bonucci’s equalizer in the final precisely rehearsed in training?
A header by little Marco Verratti was definitely unexpected.
And surprise is an important factor in "static" football.
So, how to score 15 more goals per season?
First: practice, practice, practice. Regularly.
Know your opponent, their weaknesses and their certainties.
And then, be unpredictable yourself.