Cracovia 2023/24: Breaking down the unlimited potential of revolving screens – set-piece analysis

Cracovia survived the relegation battle last week, with a 2-0 victory securing their place in the top-flight of Polish football for another season. Since the mid-season winter break, Cracovias seven set-piece goals have been crucial to their survival, which have made up 38% of their goals in the moments when the match saw both teams with an even number of players.

Cracovia stand out from a set-piece perspective due to their flexibility in being able to adapt the direction of the screen to create space in areas that are left unmarked within the oppositions defensive structures. In the fixtures against heavy zonal setups (5+), the screen is often used to create space further away from the goal, where few man markers are present to potentially intercept the delivery. However, when the zonal presence inside the six-yard box has been thinner (3/4 players or less), screens have been used to increase the gaps between an already stretched zonal presence in front of the goal. This has made them incredibly tough to play against and score a goal roughly once every 11 corners.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine the tactics behind Cracovias corner kicks, with an in-depth analysis of how they are able to access different areas of the penalty box depending on the opposition structure. This set-piece analysis will also examine the details behind why they attacked each part of the box, the details behind the different screens that are utilised, and the importance of timing and coordination when using screens.

Attacking in Numbers

From the start, Cracovia are already at an advantage to make the first contact simply because of the number of players they use to attack the box with. Every corner kick involves six attackers, all attempting to either attack the ball or create chaos and disrupt opposition players inside the penalty area. Different routines demand different starting positions from the attacking side, but a common theme is to have a +1 overload in the area around the penalty spot, consisting of the players whose responsibility is to attack the ball. Having the +1 ensures that one player is always free to attack the six-yard box without anyone disrupting their movement toward the box so that they can use their momentum to dominate aerial duels against static zonal defenders.

In the instance below, an original adaptation is used to free up another attacker. One player whose role is to pick up loose balls outside the penalty area starts inside the box to attract a marker to him. As the corner is taken, he retreats to his position outside of the box, leaving his marker having to scatter to pick up a different player inside the penalty box. With the correct timing, the defender has no time to mark anyone else and ends up leaving the attacking side with two attackers free to attack the six-yard box.

X v Zonal Defending

Cracovias encounters with heavy zonal setups, often consisting of 5 or more zonal defenders, have been a testament to their effective attacking strategies. While it may seem challenging to breach the six-yard box and make the first contact there, they have found success in the next six-yard space between the six-yard box and the penalty spot. Their routine, designed to exploit this defensive structure, involves a screen on the nearest zonal defender to the highlighted area, while the attacker, usually the +1, has a clear path into the target area. To maximize the corner takers delivery space, the remaining attackers make decoy runs towards the back post, where they can also pounce on rebounds or second balls.

It can be fairly simple for the opposi