Defensive setups from corner kicks have evolved in recent football history.
The two main methods of defending corners have included zonal defending and man marking, with each type having its own securities and downfalls.
A mix of the two, a hybrid marking system, has started to become the trend when defending set plays, and we will look into why that is the case.
When teams concede and score goals from corners, it usually seems like the goal is down to luck.
However, we are here to describe why and how teams can strategise corner kick deliveries to expose weak spots of specific defensive systems and why the best set-piece teams dont need luck to score from these chances consistently.
In this??tactical analysis, we will look into the tactics behind different methods of defending corner kicks, with an in-depth analysis of how each technique can be attempted and the benefits/blind spots that come with them.
This set-piece analysis will examine why different teams utilise different methods of defending corner kicks while looking into the most secure teams in Europe and their steps to be so strong defensively.
Man Marking For Defending Corner Kicks
Although this method isnt common amongst the European elite, Inter Milan are among the few teams utilising an exclusive man-to-man defensive approach to corners.
Each player is assigned to an attacker, whose sole job is to prevent that player from being able to attack the ball, at the minimum disrupting their path to the ball, increasing the likelihood of each attacker making a mistake should they make the first contact.
There is one zonal defender present, as Manchester City only have four players attacking this late corner, whose job is to prevent a low cross from going directly into the six-yard box.
Man-marking approaches are most effective when the space to attack behind a defensive block is limited.
In situations with a lot of space available, attackers can easily lose their marker.
However,
