Parma 2023/24: Introducing the ‘roaming set-piece taker’ – set-piece analysis

Parma are currently sat second in Serie B, following an undefeated start to the season. Current head coach Fabio Pecchia led Parma to a 4th place finish in his first season with the club and narrowly lost in the semifinals of the playoffs to return to the Serie A. The ex-assistant coach of Rafael Benitez at the likes of Real Madrid and Napoli will be looking to achieve instant promotion back to the top flight at the second time of trying.

Although Parma havent scored from any set plays in the league yet, they have had some interesting ideas with their short corners and deserve praise for their ingenuity. Parma have displayed a good understanding of using third-man runs to find a free player inside the penalty area from corners, although they have struggled to have many shots from these interesting set plays.

In this??tactical analysis, we will look into the tactics behind Parmas offensive set plays, with an in-depth analysis of how their main corner routine has been used. This set-piece analysis will examine why this routine has had some encouraging signs, why it hasnt been effective yet, and the steps Parma can take to become more threatening from set plays whilst maintaining their current methods.

Finding the Spare Man

The most common method for defending against short corners involves opposition teams sending out enough players to go man-to-man with the potential receivers of the pass. However, this often results in the corner taker being unaccounted for, with the norm being that once the corner is taken, the player taking it is immediately offside and wont impact the upcoming sequence. The immediate surroundings around the corner flag is the only area on the pitch where an opposing player cant start.

As a result, the player by the corner flag can begin with space, where they have a more straightforward job of receiving the ball away from any defenders. As seen in the example below, two defenders are ready to press the short corner, but no one is left to defend against the player taking the corner, meaning he can be labelled as the spare man.

One way in which Parma have attempted to create further space for the players receiving a short pass includes using screens inside the penalty area on the nearest defenders who can potentially close down the short corner. Blocking the defenders from closing down the short corner gives each player the time and space they need to execute their actions. Furthermore, preventing a defender from moving can keep the offside line closer to goal, which makes it easier for the corner taker to move into an onside position and be available to receive the pass.

The example below shows Pa