Malmö FF 2023: An assessment of their ‘train’ routine and where they can improve – set-piece analysis

Malmö FF are looking to bounce back into the UEFA Champions League and to the top of the Allsvenskan after a disappointing 2022 campaign where they finished in seventh. They are currently stood in second place in the league after 18 games of the season already played. Ex-Leeds and Brentford central defender Pontus Jansson is the current captain and will be looking to help guide Malmö back to European football.

After 120+ corner kicks, Malmö have displayed positive signs of a team with some strategy for set plays. However, with only three goals scored on these occasions, there is definitely room for improvement. Their intentions are good, but that hasnt always translated to clear results from corner kicks.

In this tactical analysis, we will look into the tactics behind Malmös corner routines, with an in-depth analysis of how their strategy of using a train has been promising. This set-piece analysis will examine why this method has the potential to be effective and how Malmö can improve on solid foundations.

Malmös Corner Evolution

Since the start of the season, Malmö have utilised several different starting strategies from corner kicks whilst trying to find an efficient method. In the opening games of the season, Malmö attempted to begin with a deep starting position at the back post, intending to float crosses inside the back half of the six-yard box. Malmö have struggled with consistent deliveries into the box, so perhaps in order to reduce the reliance on the corner takers accuracy, they aimed to float balls into the box, where attackers have more time to react to the flight of the ball before attacking it.

With floated crosses, the balls have to be crossed into areas away from where the goalkeeper can claim the ball, which usually involves the ball being aimed at regions at the back post and further away from the goal. The example below shows the attacking group starting at the back edge of the six-yard box, where the defensive players cannot see both the ball and the player simultaneously. As the ball is about to be crossed in, once the defenders look over their shoulders to track the ball, the attackers can make their run into the six-yard box and gain separation from their markers.

With the defenders being able to stay tight to their markers, it can be challenging for attackers to lose them, even if defenders turn away from the marker. To avoid this, Malmö have utilised blindside screens to create that extra separation. The image below shows the blind side screen, where the screen comes from behind the defenders back.

With the element of surprise, a defender cannot evade the screen when it comes from behind, thus ensuring that the screen will be effective. The free attacker can then attack the box from deep and attempt to win the aerial duel.