FC Midtjylland are on the mend after a lackluster league campaign in the previous season, which saw them finish in 7th place and forced them to participate in the relegation group of the Danish Superliga.
This season under Thomas Thomasberg tactics, they have come first following the initial 22-match league campaign.
They will be looking to win the league after the final 10 matches in the championship group.
However, they are currently in second place.
From a set-piece perspective, Midtjylland have been exciting to watch due to their set-piece coach, Martin Mark, and his consistent efforts to devise creative new ways of creating space in and around the six-yard box, where a single touch on the ball can result in a goal.
However, while many routines have been successful in accomplishing that, they have also struggled in allowing a player to arrive in that open space unopposed, meaning that its been rare to see goals come directly from the first contact, resulting in the Danish side not standing out this season for their set play efforts.
In this tactical analysis, we will delve into Martin Mark tactics behind Midtjyllands corner kicks, providing an in-depth analysis of how they utilise screens to create danger from corners.
This set-piece analysis will also examine the various methods by which they have achieved success in set plays.
More importantly, it will highlight the potential for further steps they can take to increase their set-play efficiency.
FC Midtjylland Effective Use of Screens
As mentioned at the start, Midtjylland have impressed due to their ability to create a safe passage for the ball into high-value areas, in and around the six-yard box.
One way this has been achieved is through the use of screens on zonal defenders.
The late execution of the screen has been particularly effective, as defenders are blocked when the ball is crossed in, meaning they dont have enough time to evade the screen and attack the ball and are, therefore, unable to contribute defensively to the corner kick.
The image below shows the space that Midtjylland is attempting to exploit.
In contrast, the white arrow shows how the screen setter is outside of his targets point of view.
This means that the defender wont be able to see the screen coming, and the surprise element prevents him from evading it.
As the ball is crossed in, the screen is executed.
By the time it would take for the defender to distance himself from the screen and attempt to attack the ball, the shot would have already been made by the attacker arriving in the space.
This means that the ball c
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