AGF are one of the best-performing sides in the Danish Superliga.
Currently sitting in third, they are battling for a spot in European competitions.
They have an outside chance of competing for the top spot, with FC Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen dropping points recently.
Aarhus GF are second in the league on xPTS, showing that their good season is the result of hard work rather than luck.
According to Sofascore, they have scored 16 goals from set pieces, accounting for 36% of their total goal tally.
This tactical analysis will delve into Uwe Rösler’s tactics during set pieces, particularly how AGF use screens to gain success from dead-ball situations.
We will also analyse the ways in which AGF are a threat and the areas in which they struggle.
One key factor in this set-piece analysis is how individual players use their bodies to gain advantages over their opponents in aerial duels, even if there is no spatial advantage to exploit.
Through clever movement and well-set screens, AGF often creates high-quality chances, even though opponents can often expect the type of delivery and routine being used.
Success Through Screens
The area AGF target on most occasions is at the near post, between the near post and the centre of the goal, always crossing the ball into the six-yard box.
A chipped delivery is floated into the area highlighted in the video below, where any first-contact win is almost guaranteed to result in a goal.
AGF attempts to create as much space as possible in their target area to maximise their chance of making the first contact.
This is done using screens to prevent defenders from accessing the white area, hoping an attacker can arrive unmarked.
The biggest threat to chipped deliveries and deliveries inside the six-yard box is the goalkeeper’s potential ability to claim the cross.
AGF attempts to eliminate the goalkeeper’s risk by using two attackers to block the goalkeeper and prevent him from making the first contact.
The clip shows the first attacker getting his body really low, lowering his centre of gravity and improving his balance, making it hard for the goalkeeper to move him away.
The second player blocking the keeper ensures he cannot step towards the ball at the near post area being targeted.
The combination of these two blocks makes it impossible for a keeper to intercept a cross.
Two screens are also used on the nearest zonal defenders, preventing them from entering this area so that there are a minimal number of defenders ready to win the first contact.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
Another way in which AGF maximise the space available in the near post areas is through the use of decoy runs.
The following clip shows two attackers making runs to the taker to pretend to want to receive a short pass.
This attracts the nearest zonal defenders who leave the near post areas, increasing the amount of space the attacker at the near post has to attempt to make the first contact.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
AGF usually attempt to create space at the first post, and in some instances, like here, the space is already available due to the opposition’s setup.
The ball is consistently and reliably delivered into this area.
In this instance, the player highlighted sets a screen on the zonal defender whilst also being the one to attack the ball.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
Due to their lack of variety in corner delivery, AGF’s biggest problem is that teams often can pack the near post area with zonal players to increase their chances of winning the first contact.
AGF attempt to block players from entering these areas, but when a team puts in enough players, AGF cannot prevent all of these from challenging for the ball.
Furthermore, because the AGF attackers mostly start their runs from inside the six-yard box, within a few steps of the end locations, the players face challenges in aerial duels when an opposition defender is present and challenges for the ball.
Top teams use timing and deeper starting positions to create momentum advantages for their players so that even less physically dominant players can make the first contact.
However, AGF fail to achieve this, meaning that they rely on 1v1 aerial duels and the individual quality of their players to be better than that of their opponents when attempting to make the first contact in situations when the defensive side packs its own six-yard box with players.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
In a couple of instances, AGF have attempted to be creative to give their players the advantages required to dominate aerial duels, although the use of these different routines has been sparse.
Similar to how Arsenal used to be so successful, the players start in deep positions on the far side of the penalty box, from where they can arrive in dangerous areas from the opponent’s blind side.
The idea of blocking the keeper and using screens on zonal defenders remains, but this time, the target player arrives from deep, meaning that he can be unmarked when entering the target zone.
Unfortunately, the block on the keeper fails to pin him to his line, so the cross is intercepted, and ultimately, nothing comes from it.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
Unique Tools To Dominate Aerial Duels
While the article mentions AGF struggling to create advantages for their players and relying on individuals dominating their 1v1s, the players use a variety of methods to help them win these individual duels so that these issues aren’t as problematic as they might be for other teams and players.
When a player starts in the target area already, he doesn’t have to worry about the timing of the ball’s arrival into the zone; instead, he just has to prevent a defender from getting across them when the ball arrives.
The clip below shows how the attacker uses a really wide stance to maintain balance, hold his ground and be in the perfect position to header the ball without needing to move.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
The following important detail to note is the shape of the attacker’s body during the aerial contest.
As previously mentioned, the chipped delivery means that the ball arrives in the six-yard box at a slower pace.
Hence, a header on goal is unlikely to be powerful, especially when the attacker is already waiting in the target area and has no momentum.
Patrick Mortensen uses a tool that the best box attackers use in order to ensure the header towards the goal has as much power on it as possible.
When he springs into the air, his legs open and become wider, increasing the range of mobility his upper body has.
With the hips and upper body free, Mortensen can rotate his upper body to generate momentum and add extra power to his header.
It is no surprise to see him on track for 20+ Superliga goals.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
The final tool used is the pull of the shirt.
Both players in the clip below grab each other’s shirts, but the AGF individual grabs the shirt at a higher point than the opponent.
Grabbing the shirt at the upper back and pulling it down is more effective than pulling down the shirt at the base to prevent an opponent from jumping for the header.
The attacker generates enough momentum to push up with his head and body so that when the shirt is grabbed at the bottom, it doesn’t force him to stay down.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
One other problem that AGF have faced with their double use of blocks on the keeper or decoy runs at the near post, along with the multiple other screens around the near post, is that they heavily crowd the six-yard box and lack numbers on the edge of the box for second balls.
While they might be slightly more likely to win the first contact by doing so, there is less room for error as only one player covers the area around the penalty spot for second balls.
This second phase includes many shots and goals from set plays, and putting too much emphasis on the first contact can make AGF vulnerable.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) April 6, 2025
Conclusion
AGF’s work on set pieces under Uwe Rösler has played a significant role in their strong season.
Their use of screens, clever movement, and smart body positioning make them a real threat from dead-ball situations.
They often create good chances by blocking defenders and the goalkeeper, giving their attackers space to attack the ball.
However, their routines can become predictable, and they sometimes struggle when the box is crowded or when second balls drop outside the main area.
Even so, the way AGF mixes team structure with individual quality shows just how effective well-planned set pieces can be in modern football.
