How Celtic have utilised corners to stay ahead of bitter rivals Rangers in the title race – set-piece analysis

Celtic are enjoying what looks like will be yet another successful title defence in the Scottish Premiership. They lead the title race with 11 games to go in the season, after earlier disappointment in the UEFA Champions League after coming bottom of a group containing heavy favourites Real Madrid and RB Leipzig as well as Shakhtar Donetsk.

In what has been a dominant season for the Hoops, one underrated aspect of their play has been their ability to win crucial points through set plays. Celtic have scored 19 goals from set-pieces this season, with corner goals leading to Celtic having gained an additional 10 points. With Celtic leading Rangers in the title race by 9 points, it is clear that these corner goals have been crucial to their ability to gain some breathing room at the top of the table.

Gavin Strachan, son of ex-Celtic manager Gordon Strachan who led them to numerous title victories, has been publicly acknowledged by current head coach Ange Postecoglou for the positive upturn in form Celtic have achieved during set pieces.

In this tactical analysis, we will delve into the tactics used by Celtic, with an in-depth analysis of how they have been able to continuously alter their routines whilst still achieving success. This set-piece analysis will look at the reasons behind the different routines used depending on the opposition teams defensive set-up.

Attacking space around the six-yard box

Celtic have used two main different methods of attacking corners, depending on the set-up of the defensive team. Against man-marking defensive approaches, space nearer the goal has been easier to manipulate and expose due to the defensive players being more adventurous in their hunt to track their markers.

Against these man-marking setups, space is available around the six-yard line as every player attacking the ball starting around the penalty spot is closely marked. The image below displays the clear space inside the six-yard box, with the out-swinging being played into the space. With the ball curling away from the goal, the goalkeeper has a harder time deciding whether to claim the cross, meaning they are more likely to stay on their line and allow the ball to enter the area. With the ball just needing a precise delivery into an already open space, all thats needed is to get to the target area first.

To get into the target area ahead of a defender, the Celtic attackers must be able to dismark themselves in order to get an unopposed run at the ball. In the example below, this is done through a simple body feint, where the attacker can create space to sprint into, before putting a free unopposed header into the back of the net from within six yards.

Celtic have been innovative in creating space around the six-yard box when there are additional zonal markers. Pictured below in blue, the Celtic player moves into the line of sight of the defender to capture his attention, before making a movement away from the target area, with the intention of dragging the defender away from the six-yard box. This decoy run allows the real target player (green) to arrive in the target area with no defenders occupying that zone.

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