Manchester United 2023/24: How can they improve upon stale and stagnant set plays – set-piece analysis

Manchester United have suffered a disappointing start to the season so far, with the worst start to a league campaign in 34 years. Seven games in, the Red Devils have earned 9 points and lost both opening games of the UEFA Champions League group stage to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray S.K..

Set plays have played a particularly crucial part in this poor start of the season, with United having conceded three goals from dead balls in the Premier League already, as well as giving away a penalty from a corner against Bayern, getting away with a potential penalty shout against Wolves and conceding a goal directly after an attacking corner against Nottingham Forest in the opening minutes of the game. From an attacking point of view, Man United have struggled to create many chances from set plays. However, the exceptional aerial ability of Casemiro and his intelligent movement inside the box has allowed United to remain somewhat efficient from the limited chances they manufacture.

In this??tactical analysis, we will look into the tactics behind Manchester Uniteds attacking and defending corner setups, with an in-depth analysis of why the different forms have been ineffective so far. This set-piece analysis will examine why these setups have had some signs of potential, why these setups have been exposed, and how United can improve to become more solid defensively and more potent when attacking set plays.

Defending Set Plays

One of the most significant issues United have had when defending set plays has been down to their rigid setup, which doesnt allow much room for adapting to different opposition attacking structures.

For most corners, Manchester United attempt to use three zonal defenders, staggered across the six-yard line, as well as a defender on each post, who starts as a zonal defender before retreating on the line as the cross is taken, if the ball doesnt approach them. Three players are used as man markers, whilst the remaining two are used to collect balls during the second phase or to close down short corner routines. While the approach may seem defensively sound, the issue is the lack of ability to adapt to opposing teams who rotate between different ways.

At times, it would be fair to say that United overcompensate when defending the near side of the six-yard box. With the player on the near post beginning as a zonal marker, Manchester United have been, at times, left in positions where three zonal defenders are stepping on each others toes to prevent opponents from gaining any access to the near side of the six-yard box. As we can see in the example below, the central of the three zonal defenders becomes nearly irrelevant, as both his neighbours have already got the entire area covered. This near-side overkill has often resulted in the Red Devils being undermanned in other areas of the penalty area.