Positive Ploys, Execution Errors: Elevating Gil Vicente’s attacking corner-kicks – set-piece analysis

Gil Vicente are currently sat mid-table in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, yet are in a precarious position where one poor result could see them fall into relegation places. Set-pieces have been essential for them, summing up 23% of their goal total so far this season, helping them stay in a position of safety up until this point in the season.

They have primarily utilised one main corner routine, which has been interesting to analyse due to the multiple benefits players have from the movements made. While the routine is exciting, it has been mostly unsuccessful due to the difficulty of its execution, and so even though the ideas are promising and tactically make sense, the routine isnt suitable for this side unless adaptations are made, which will be discussed later in the article.

In this tactical analysis, we will look into the tactics behind Gil Vicentes attacking set-pieces, with an in-depth analysis of the critical details behind their primary corner method. This set-piece analysis will also look into the problems in executing that routine and some solutions that can be used to increase their efficiency in the future.

Primary Routine

Gil Vicentes priority is to create chances through flick-ons to make the final actions as easy as possible for their players. The extra touch, between the corner being taken and before the ball is struck into the back of the net, is what makes this routine potentially incredible, but also the reason why so little success has come from it so far. The flick from the near side of the six-yard box, across the goal, is a potent tool that can unlock zonal defences, no matter how strong they are, while possessing the key to allow attackers to successfully dismark themselves from a defender.

Zonal defenders naturally have to react to the ball when a cross comes in, meaning they lose sight of potential attackers entering their areas. When a flick is made, the ball will usually fly past the six-yard box. If a defender cannot get goalside of the ball, they run the risk of deflecting it into the back of their own net, whilst being too deep in the goal may mean that they cannot step up and clear the ball in time. As a result, zonal defenders usually wait in the middle ground, where they only have a small amount of space they can compete for the ball in after a flick-on.

They cant attack the ball with as much pace as an attacker, when there is so little time to react and adapt to the new trajectory of the ball, meaning that any attacker who arrives from deep will be able to use their momentum to reach the ball before their marker unless the defender can spot the attacker and disrupt their run, or unless the ball comes directly to the defender.

We can break the routine down into the two different roles the groups of attackers are responsible for attacking: the Access Point and the Scoring Territory. Using runs from deep, in a parallel direction to the goal, takes an element of what makes Arsenal such a strong set-piece side in the Premier League, which largely increases the chance of making the first contact on the ball. However, Gil Vicente also use runs to the goal, from the edge of the penalty area, to maximise the chance of shots hitting the back of the net, with attackers able to attack the ball with the momentum that makes a potential strike unstoppable.

Arriving in the Access Point

As you will see in the majority of Gil Vicentes corner kicks, players are always aiming to arrive in the area shown below to flick the ball over the first couple of zonal defenders so the ball can arrive in the Scoring Territory as seen earlier in the article.

This is referred to as the Access Point as it is a part of the box that is usually left vulnerable and exposed due to the limited probability of a shot being scored from such a tight angle. Most teams often leave this area less protected, so Gil Vicente can consistently attempt to exploit the space there. However, due to the low probability of a goal being scored from the Access Point, Gil Vicente only used this area to make the assist easier to achieve. It can be hard to cross the ball directly into the six-yard box, but due to the reasons mentioned earlier, the use of flicks makes it much easier to enter such a high-value area.

One of the most common and easiest ways to arrive at the Access Point is through the deeper posi