The benefits of nods and flicks at corner kicks and how to defend against them – set-piece analysis

With the development of teams in set-piece analysis and thus protecting the critical areas in the corners and marking the distinguished attackers at aerial duels with different defensive styles, whether zonal marking, man-marking or hybrid system, the attacking teams needed to find new ideas that target less important areas or less important players and thus unmarked, but in order to target more important areas or players later.

We will write about two different main ideas, nods and flicks. In the first idea, Teams sometimes target an unmarked player in far areas to nod the ball back towards the near post to a good player at aerial duels, exploiting the chaos that happens while the near-post defenders turn around and focus on the first conflict, neglecting the second targeted player at their back covering the off-side.

In flick-routines, attacking teams plan for winning the first touch before the near post depending on an excellent player at getting the first touch with the help of many tricks like moving from the defenders blind side, blocks and screens and then exploiting the first touch attracts the attention of the defender neglecting the second targeted player moving at their back to score the goal.

In this tactical analysis, we will analyse the tactics used in these routines and the potential counter, giving examples from the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, UEFA Champions League and the national team of Belgium.

Nods

In this idea, attacking teams target a player without marking because he isnt a good player at aerial duels, so opponents neglect him, using him only to nod the ball to an excellent player at aerial duels in a better and nearer area. At the same time, the defenders give their attention to the first headed touch, forgetting the second targeted player at their back. Lets explain in detail.

In the first photo, Man City use this idea by the principle of underloading against RB Leipzigs four man-markers by targeting Bernardo Silva, who is free coming from the near post because he isnt a dangerous player at aerial duels, so no one focuses on him while the other four attackers are unloading the targeted area for him dragging the man-markers with them, as in the second photo.

In the third photo, five attackers are framing the goal. Rodri blocks the zonal player in the middle to isolate the three attackers behind him against only the last zonal defender. At the same time, another drops back, standing on the line beside the goalkeeper, covering the off-side. Two attackers take the attention to free Erling Haaland behind him, who gets the headed pass, and the result is a goal, as in the fourth photo.

The counter idea

Borussia M??nchengladbach can deal with that idea against Bayern Munich, as we will explain in detail.

In the first photo, it is clear that they defended with five zonal players, three man-markers, a player against the short corner and a rebound player. In the second photo, Bayern Munich face these three man-markers with five attackers, so there are two players free, highlighted in blue, so one of them, the late one who is away from man-markers, moves toward the far post to nod the ball, so the first part is difficult to defend.

The attacking team can ach