Inside FC Seoul’s 2024 Playbook: Corner Kick Tactics That Win Games – Set-Piece Analysis

After 27 rounds, FC Seoul are sixth in the K League 1, having achieved 12 wins, six draws, and nine losses — this is only an eight-point difference from Gangwon, who is in first place.

On the defensive level, FC Seouls statistics are good; they are considered to have the third-strongest defence, tied with Pohang Steelers; they have conceded 31 goals — only two goals more than the team with the strongest defence, Ulsan Hyundai.

On the offensive level, their statistics are excellent.

They have the second-strongest attack, with a total of 42 goals, trailing by nine behind the leader, Gangwon.

In this tactical analysis, we will discuss one of the reasons behind their offensive success: set-pieces, particularly their tactics in attacking corners.

They are the team with the highest number of goals scored from corners in the K League 1, with a total of six.

Far Starting Positions

Before getting deeper into the details, an important thing you should know about Seoul is that they use simple ideas in many different ways to make them effective, and they are not easy to predict, even if they use similar main ideas.

The first strategy we will discuss is asking the targeted player, usually Kwon Wan-kyu, to start in a far position on the edge of the box, far away from man markers, so he can be free with the help of his teammate, who fakes a run to drag the defender, as shown below.

During that, a pack of attackers starts near the penalty spot, which will be the targeted area.

Then, he goes to different ways to drag the markers away to free the targeted area for the unmarked player from a far position.

To do all of these steps, they need the cross to take a long time in the air, so they want the cross to be floated.

This also helps the targeted player run enough distance and jump with his dynamic mismatch, getting the ball from the highest point, showing his ability in aerial duels.

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