At the time of writing, FC Annecy is in ninth place after five rounds of Ligue 2, with a total of eight points, having won two matches, drawn two, and lost one.
Do not rush to judge them based on their position, as the gap between them and first-placed Bastia is only three points.
Defensively, they are struggling somewhat compared to their competition.
They have conceded seven goals in five matches, a difference of five goals compared to first-place, who have only conceded two.
Their offensive statistics are strong.
They have the second-best attack in the entire league, having scored ten.
This puts them just two goals behind Guingamp, the second-placed team in the standings, which has scored 12.
One key reason for Annecys offensive success is their performance in set pieces, mainly corners, under Laurent Guyots tactics.
They are currently the team with the most goals scored from corners in the league, having netted four from a total of 10 scored in five matches.
In this tactical analysis, we will discuss Annecys tactics for offensive corners, not only by examining their most successful routines but also by considering their effectiveness in securing second balls, which allows them to defend against counterattacks first and subsequently pose a threat to the opponents goal.
Constraining The Opponent
As usual, we wont start by illustrating how they implement their good attacking corner routines, but we will start with their preventive scheme, which allows them to be safe from counterattacks while constraining the opponent in the box to create a second wave of danger.
In the photo below, their main attacking structure is shown: five attackers inside the box, three players standing on the edge of the box for the rebound, one player staying at the back for the counterattacks, and the taker.
It is noticeable that they attack the box with only five players, which is considered somehow a sacrifice because they can use six or seven players in the box, as many teams do, but they prefer that for two reasons:
Defensively, they are very safe with this approach, killing the counterattack from its start because using three rebound players allows them to push very high to get the second ball.
If anyone goes to chase the ball, the others can cover while having an additional factor of safety, which is the player who stays at the back.
Offensively, these players can push high to get the second ball from dangerous points inside the box, which allows them to shoot, cross the ball, or rotate the ball to create following waves of danger.
Lets explain all of that in detail!
In the photo below, the ball will be cleared, and the left rebound player will chase it to a very high point inside the box without hesitation.
You can imagine the danger he can cause from such a close point, which allows him to cross or shoot.
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