Blackburn Rovers’ Innovative Set-Piece Tactics Fuelling A Promotion Push Under John Eustace
All set-piece fans have been captivated by Blackburn’s distinctive and out-of-the-ordinary corner kick routines in
recent weeks.
They do not appear to be an immediate set-piece threat given that they have five goals in the league from set plays,
but their inventive dead ball designs necessitate deeper research into the team’s set-piece strategies.
Blackburn is hoping to make a comeback to the Premier League and is currently in the playoff spots in the EFL
Championship.
They might have to stay in the division for another year, though, if they were to fall behind the pursuing group.
The strategies used by Blackburn to stay inventive and unexpected throughout set plays will be examined in this
tactical analysis.
We will also examine the various routines that are employed from week to week and how, despite their seeming
randomness, many of them follow a distinct pattern of thought.
Their coordination and clarity in determining which routine to use and when is a constant throughout this set-piece
analysis.
Although it is obvious that they need to work on this area going forward, they also use screens to clear space in
specific spots, allowing for unchallenged shooting.
We’ll look at the reasons why Blackburn is so thrilling to watch from set pieces and how they can get even better in
the future.
Blackburn’s Unique Routines
First of all, Blackburn’s clarity and desire during every corner kick make them instantly stand out as a set-piece
threat.
Arriving in space and trying to provide the attacker an unopposed chance on goal is always the basic idea.
Blackburn, however, approaches ensuring this is accomplished in a different manner.
The players inside the target zone are tasked with making decoy runs out of the zone to drag their markers with
them, and they place at least one attacker—and occasionally more—in the zone.
After the defence follows the first attacker’s first run, another attacker enters the target area from a secondary
position, with the goal being to leave that area unguarded.
In the clip below, we can see this come into action, with the players at the front and back post swapping positions, so
both have open spaces to attack as defenders attempt to track their man:
The efficiency of a run made away from the ball is another crucial point to make about the aforementioned clip.
The player in the above footage who is highlighted is aware that the back half of the penalty box will be free.
He gives himself enough time to respond to where the ball is about to land and modify his feet and angle of approach
to attack the ball as best he can by getting there a few seconds before it does.
The player reaching the back post would have the opportunity to attack the ball for a tap-in if it had come in the near
side for a flick-on.
Blackburn have used many different routines, and here is one that highlights the vulnerabilities of a man-marking
defensive approach.
The defensive side is split into two groups of three, and its structure is separated.
This means that the defenders cannot cover for each other as quickly if someone loses track of a runner.
This leaves two isolated 3v3 situations in which the defenders have to cover the entire box as a unit of three, with
only two zonal defenders.
The player indicated in red in the video below is Blackburn’s effort to immobilise the zonal defender by using a
screen.
But a combination of bad timing, the defender’s excellent tracking, and the screener’s subpar technique causes it to
fail.
The screener may have stopped the zonal defender if he had adopted a broader stance, which would have made it
more difficult to shift him out of the way.
Attackers find it easier to lose sight of their marker when the ball crosses after a short corner, and the goalie must
shift positions to defend the goal in the event of a shot.
As the goalkeeper moves to cover the near post, it becomes harder for him to claim crosses headed towards the back
post.
He also has to move position while the ball is crossed, so there is a chance he won’t be set when the header on goal is
made.
The technique is demonstrated in the video below, but once more, improper timing and bad delivery result in an
improperly completed corner.
One of the attackers would also have a better time winning the first contact if they delivered an inswinging shot
against a deep defending unit.
Similar to the previously examined corners, Blackburn’s issue has been the timing of their acts.
They have to reach space at the same time as the ball.
However, they have been showing there too early, which allows defenders to reposition themselves and easily defend
the target area because they wait in the area before the ball is delivered.
The space is available to attack, so if the players hold their runs, delaying them by a few seconds, they will be able to
arrive without the defender being able to recover.
By using these overloads in the attacking unit, when they can securely play the short corners without needing to do
the above, they can attack the box with unmarked attackers without creating space for themselves.
Of course, it still requires precise delivery, which is inconsistent at this level, but from a preparation point of view,
Blackburn has done all it can to make this routine as effective as possible.
If the delivery cannot be guaranteed, Blackburn could be better off getting the ball into a safer space, where the
delivery is more likely to be successful.
Blackburn starts its corner kick sets with a hive.
This means that when the ball is ready to be delivered, groups of eight or nine players begin nearby and then move in
the appropriate ways.
Since opponents are unable to know how many players you intend to use to attack the box, it is challenging to set up
your defensive structure effectively.
Defenders are unsure of who to mark and may leave a player unmarked to assault the box since it is unclear who will
set a screen, who will attack the box, and who will wait outside the penalty box.
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