Derby County’s Tactical Edge: Innovation In Corners & Throw Ins – Set Piece Analysis

Derby County compete in the 2024/25 EFL Championship after having been promoted from League One, where they played for the previous two seasons.

Although only four matches have been played, which is relatively early to make a definitive assessment, Derby Countys start to the season has been balanced so far; they currently occupy 10th place with six points, having secured two wins and suffered two defeats.

Defensively, Derby Countys statistics are average, having conceded six goals.

This places them in a mid-range position compared to other teams, with Sunderland having the strongest defence by allowing only one goal and Cardiff City having the weakest defence, having conceded 10 goals.

Offensively, their performance is stronger, as they have scored seven goals, only three fewer than Sunderland, who have the most potent attack.

Remarkably, they have scored five of their seven goals from set-pieces, accounting for approximately 71% of their total goals.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine their distinctive and innovative tactics in set-pieces, particularly focusing on corners and throw-ins where they employ a variety of movements before execution, each serving different purposes.

Derby County Corners Set Piece Analysis

Starting with corners, they have three main axes on which they depend in their routines, all related to the starting positions and state.

These three main ideas are traffic in front of the goalkeeper, far starting positions and circular movements.

Traffic In Front Of The Goalkeeper

In the photo below, the opponent defends with two zonal defenders, a short-option defender, a rebound defender and six man markers.

Paul Warnes side attacks the box with six attackers, five between the two zonal defenders, while the sixth stands after the far post.

They also have a short-option attacker, and two players stay at the back for counterattacks, out of the shot.

Their general idea of this pack in front of the goalkeeper is to make him unable to move freely to clear the goal.

They also move in different directions, distracting the man markers while evacuating this area, which will be underloaded.

Lets track the movements of these six attackers!

Two attackers, numbered in blue, evacuate that area, stepping back towards the far post, while the yellow attacker, who was initially on the far post, will move in front of the second zonal defender.

The orange attacker