Unleashing FC Como’s Set Piece Arsenal 2023/24: The Key To Serie B Success – Set Piece Analysis

In early 2023, I produced an FC Como 1907 Analysis and their failure to adequately defend set plays.

Relegation was a possibility, although a good run to end the season allowed them to finish in the middle of the table.

Fast forward 15 months and many things have changed:

• Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona legend Cesc Fabregas has retired from the playing squad to become head coach of the U19 side. At the back end of 2023, he got the role of interim head coach of the first team, but due to a lack of the UEFA PRO license, he could only be in charge for one month, before joining the coaching staff under head coach Osian Roberts by becoming his assistant coach.
• Instead of a potential relegation scrap, Como are now at the top end of Serie B. Today is the final day of the season, and if they are able to match Venezias result, they will earn promotion to the Serie A for the first time since 2003.
• Stuart Reid has been appointed to take care of their set-piece struggles

Since mid-January when Reid got control of Comos set plays, Como have been able to consistently become a threat from such situations.

In that time, Como FC have been able to score 28 league goals, 12 of which came from dead ball situations, resulting in 42.8% of goals being a result of Reids expertise, with Como even managing to score four goals from corner kicks in one game.

They have also gained more points than any other team in the league within the same time period.

These crucial points earned by outsourcing an important element of the game to an expert could be the difference between instant promotion and a playoff battle.

The corner kicks have been extremely difficult to stop for opposing teams due to Comos flexibility and creativity in finding different routines to exploit the weaknesses of different defensive set-ups.

In this FC Como tactical analysis, we will delve into the tactics used by Como during attacking corner kicks, with an analysis of some of the many routines they have used to gain the edge.

This Como set piece analysis will look at the different attacking methods they’ve used to remain unpredictable and show how set pieces can help decide the winner in promotion battles.

Como 1907 Tactics  Attacking Space Through Horizontal Movements

One of the keys to Comos success has been through horizontal runs, made parallel to the goal. Many of Comos routines have included packing the attackers into the six-yard box, where the natural advantage is that the goalkeeper struggles to claim crosses due to the difficulty of moving through such crowded areas.

The second benefit is that any effort on goal from such a close distance is likely to result in a goal, with the goalkeeper having next to no time to react to the change of direction on the ball.

As we can see in the example below, one routine which is more frequently used against sides who leave space on the near side of the six-yard box, is the use of runs arriving from the back post, where attackers have ready-made advantages with separation because of their movement coming from the defenders blindside.

Players make their moves with good timing, and they are able to arrive in space as the ball does, meaning opposing defenders dont have time to recover their positions.

One tool used to increase the amount of space available at this near post area is through the use of screens. The screen is set on the nearest zonal player who could potentially get rid of the ball.

This guarantees the ball to arrive in the area highlighted, and with Comos strengths in timing their movements, they are often able to arrive in the space first to make the first contact.