Little Anderlecht’s Big Purple Cow: The secret weapon behind Patro Eisden’s ascent – set-piece analysis

Patro Eisden, nicknamed Klein Anderlecht or Little Anderlecht, have faced many hardships this century, with numerous changes in ownership and battles against bankruptcy; they were down in the fourth tier of Belgian football as recently as 2019. Its difficult to understand the severity of the situation, but what is clear is their recent improvement in results. Since the takeover by the Common Group, who also own Vitesse in the Eredivisie and Leyton Orient in League One, Patro have been able to secure promotion to the second tier of Belgian football in their first full season under new owners. In their second season, they are currently in 5th place in the Challenger Pro League and look set to be a part of promotion play-offs in an attempt to reach the Pro League (1st tier) for the first time since 1961 (according to Transfermarkt)! With four games to go, Patro have a very realistic chance of reaching the playoffs and are even with an outside shot of receiving an automatic promotion spot.

41% of Patros 34 league goals this season have come from dead ball situations, whether that is from a throw-in, free kick, or a corner. Interestingly, a large portion of these goals arrive through the second phase or after a rebound or a loose ball, which is ultimately down to their failure to create clear separation during the first contact. Because of their current limitations, Patro have had situational success against man-marking systems but faced more challenges against zonal set-ups.

In this tactical analysis, we will look into the??tactics behind Patro Eisdens offensive set pieces, with an in-depth analysis of the ways in which they have created chances from set plays. This set-piece analysis will also look into the problems with some of their set-piece routines and offer solutions that can be used to increase output and potentially launch them back into the top tier of Belgian football for the first time in 63 years.

Efforts to Create Separation

In order to increase the probability of making the first contact, Patro have changed the starting positions of the attacking unit, to better their chances of arriving in the target area unmarked. They have started to target the spaces at the near and far side of the six-yard box whilst using decoys to drag the defence to the opposite side of the six-yard box.

As we can see in the example below, with the space available at the far side of the six-yard box, Patro place the attacking unit around the near post. From there, the attacker can use the cluster to move around and act as an obstacle, which can give him the separation to arrive at the back post unmarked.

This routine has been used several times, with the player at the back post having the space in front to attack the ball with an advantage over his marker. The problem lies in the consistency of the delivery to the back post and the potential of the goalkeeper to claim the ball.

When the space they identify to attack