FC København 2023/24: How screen variations have supported their strong start – set-piece analysis

FC København are currently sitting joint at the top of the Danish Superliga in terms of points. After four games, they have been dominant, and their confident start translates to continental competitions as well, with the club being one round of games away from the UEFA Champions League group stage.

The club is looking to build on a successful campaign in the previous season, where they won the league after a rocky start, which saw them losing 6 of the opening 10 league fixtures. The arrivals of Mohamed Elyounoussi from Southampton and Birger Meling from Rennes are among those who will be looking to help maintain Copenhagens position at the top of Danish football.

Last season, following Jacob Neestrups arrival in the managers seat last season, København clearly took an interest to set plays, where their impressive routines stood out immediately, and were vital in helping them win the championship in the seasons final few weeks. Now in their second season, FC København stand out from the early stages yet again from set pieces, although its for different reasons than before.

In this tactical analysis, we will look into the tactics behind FC Københavns corner routines, with an in-depth analysis of how their different uses of screens have been particularly effective. This set-piece analysis will examine why this method has been effective and how it can become even more efficient.

Different Uses of Screens

The main goal for FC København from corner kicks this season has been to deliver the ball into high-value areas around the six-yard line. Making the first contact in these high-value areas can be highly effective as it means that almost any solid contact on the ball can result in a goal due to the short distance from the goal, where the goalkeeper has no time to react to a potential shot.

The most obvious and most straightforward method for an attacker to arrive in these high-value areas unopposed is to outnumber the number of defensive man markers starting in the attacking unit around the penalty spot. As seen in the image below, three man-markers defend four attackers.

It is impossible for one defender to mark two players at once, so one attacker is guaranteed to be free and ready to attack the six-yard box.

Below we can see another example of when København were able to outnumber the defensive unit around the penalty spot. The free player can be seen arriving at the six-yard box, where no defender is close to challenging for the ball.

The inability of defensive units to react to the extra numbers of attackers that København have been throwing into their attacks has meant that corners have been relatively easy to attack so far this season.