[Albion] Set pieces - missing Pascal and Billy

[Nobby Cybergoat]

The team is absolutely stacked with set piece takers. Pervis takes most set pieces for Ecuador, Julio Enciso shoots a lot of free kicks, Ayari took all the corners for Sweden during the last camp, pretty sure Joao Pedro was shooting free kicks for Watford... I'm sure I'm missing some.

Then how come we're so remorselessly crap at them?

I think it mostly should be gut feeling who takes them. If you've had a good day and landed a few crosses, go take the goddamn corner. All of these players are perfectly capable of taking a good corner or free kick. Should mainly go with gut feeling. If a player fail with two set pieces, just let someone else have a good.

Have you thought of managing a pub team, where this is exactly how set piece taking would be decided?

 

[Beanstalk]

The team is absolutely stacked with set piece takers. Pervis takes most set pieces for Ecuador, Julio Enciso shoots a lot of free kicks, Ayari took all the corners for Sweden during the last camp, pretty sure Joao Pedro was shooting free kicks for Watford... I'm sure I'm missing some.

I think it mostly should be gut feeling who takes them. If you've had a good day and landed a few crosses, go take the goddamn corner. All of these players are perfectly capable of taking a good corner or free kick. Should mainly go with gut feeling. If a player fail with two set pieces, just let someone else have a good.

Our set pieces were shite in the first half yesterday though, but none of the set piece takers were on the field. It meant that Jack Hinshelwood was on corner duties and on that showing, he wouldn't get close to the top five in the squad.

 

[studio150]

But we've got a set piece coach, who by his reaction every time we don't concede from a corner must be on a good bonus for this.

Also don't forget Veltman's brilliant (non) free kick at Arsenal.

On the plus side, Dunk seems to have lost his free kick duties.

 

[Han Solo]

In truth Pascal’s set pieces were mostly SHITE last season

Nope, they were world class. As usual.

He's constantly been one of the best in Europe at creating chances from set pieces. Struggle to blame him for our boys not being able to then put the ball in the net.

Van Hecke and Webster in between them got ca 50 attempts since last scoring in the PL. Lewis on average needs 10 chances to score a goal. Then it doesn't matter much that Gross is creating more set piece chances than Trent Alexander-Arnold and JWP are.

 

[Mike Small]

Jack had two absolutely dreadful gose yesterday in quick succession. Pet hate of mine when the first go doesn't beat the first man and then it happens again. They wern't even corners so easier to take! As another poster said though, Pascal's were dead rubbers last year. Needed to win two headers for us to score.

 

[Flounce]

Nope, they were world class. As usual.

He's constantly been one of the best in Europe at creating chances from set pieces. Struggle to blame him for our boys not being able to then put the ball in the net.

Van Hecke and Webster in between them got ca 50 attempts since last scoring in the PL. Lewis on average needs 10 chances to score a goal. Then it doesn't matter much that Gross is creating more set piece chances than Trent Alexander-Arnold and JWP are

Nope, have a rethink on your comments above after looking at most of Ward Prowse’s deliveries just for starters. Gross’ deliveries last season were mostly shite as they got nowhere near a Brighton player or even reached a danger area, and virtually never hit the back of the net.

World class? Last season? You are either taking the piss or have some excellent dope currently if you want me to believe you

 

[Han Solo]

Nope, have a rethink after looking at most of Ward Prowse’s deliveries. Gross’ deliveries last season were mostly shite as they got nowhere near a Brighton player.

Pascal created 54 shot attempts in the PL from his 309 set pieces last season.

Thats 1.56 Gross-set-piece-provided chances per 90 min.

I'm struggling to find anyone in the entire world that beats it. Real Madrid's Toni Kroos comes quite close with 1.44. In the PL we have TAA who was rather close with 1.38. Back in 2023/24, Ward-Prowse created 1.57 chances per 90 for his team through set pieces, which was his career best. Other than that I'm struggling to find anyone in the entire world who creates as much set piece chances as Pascal...

...well, except Pascal himself:
In 2019/20, Pascal created 1.65 chances from set pieces per 90 minutes played, in 20/21 the number was 1.59 and in 21/22 it was 1.64.

Its quite possible that no one in any top 5 league has created more chances from set pieces than Pascal has in the last five years. His current avg per 90 in Dortmund is 1.73 so it looks set to continue.

 

[Flounce]

Pascal created 54 shot attempts in the PL from his 309 set pieces last season.

Thats 1.56 Gross-set-piece-provided chances per 90 min.

I'm struggling to find anyone in the entire world that beats it. Real Madrid's Toni Kroos comes quite close with 1.44. In the PL we have TAA who was rather close with 1.38. Back in 2023/24, Ward-Prowse created 1.57 chances per 90 for his team through set pieces, which was his career best. Other than that I'm struggling to find anyone in the entire world who creates as much set piece chances as Pascal...

...well, except Pascal himself:
In 2019/20, Pascal created 1.65 chances from set pieces per 90 minutes played, in 20/21 the number was 1.59 and in 21/22 it was 1.64.

Its quite possible that no one in any top 5 league has created more chances from set pieces than Pascal has in the last five years. His current avg per 90 in Dortmund is 1.73 so it looks set to continue.

I have no idea where you are finding your stats but I was talking about last season and my eyes tell me he created very little and I watched every single game either on TV or live and I am struggling to remember many decent ones

Blaming everyone else in the team, apart from Gross himself that pretty well nothing came from the vast majority of them is a bit desperate and daft imo.

Do you have a video montage of all the world class set pieces Pascal took last season?

 

[Weststander]

Last season feels like an age away.

 

[Han Solo]

and my eyes tell me

Ok but football is not played in your retina or the brain it is connected to, it is played on the pitch and there's all kinds of numbers telling us what actually happens on the pitch. This is called data and will be infintely more interesting to anyone actually involved compared to what goes on in the mind of the average football supporter. This is why every single one of Pascals eight professional football managers since joining Ingolstadt 13 years ago has said "Pascal, you take the set pieces".

 

[Littlemo]

Ok but football is not played in your retina or the brain it is connected to, it is played on the pitch and there's all kinds of numbers telling us what actually happens on the pitch. This is called data and will be infintely more interesting to anyone actually involved compared to what goes on in the mind of the average football supporter. This is why every single one of Pascals eight professional football managers since joining Ingolstadt 13 years ago has said "Pascal, you take the set pieces".

I did think it was funny when I was watching Dortmund play and Gross took a corner and it hit the first man. I felt a bit nostalgic

 

[Kneon Light]

I think O Riley will be on set pieces when fit

 

[A1X]

lol when was this golden age of good Brighton set pieces? How much alcohol have I drunk to have no memory of it

It lasted from just before Ali Mac hit that free kick against Leicester to just after Ali Mac hit that free kick against Leicester

 

[dazzer6666]

Maybe he'd mislaid Billys boots And had to wear his dads old Woolworth ones.

Possibly

 

[East London Exile]

The only decent Albion corner I have seen recently was in the Wolves cup game. All the substitutions had been made and we were given a corner. Everyone looked at each other as to who was to take it and eventually Peupion wandered over. He took the kick and the ball went straight onto Webster’s head and into the net.

 

[Weststander]

lol when was this golden age of good Brighton set pieces? How much alcohol have I drunk to have no memory of it

There was a lovely little period, Skalak for about 6 months?, where his corners and freekicks out wide were a thing of beauty. Inviting Duffy or one of the other 6 footers to bury them.

 

[AZ Gull]

lol when was this golden age of good Brighton set pieces? How much alcohol have I drunk to have no memory of it

2001, with Paul Watson and Bobby Zamora?

 

[Gabbiano]

Not sure that I buy this "oh but actually most teams don't create much from set pieces". And even if that's the case, it's surely an opportunity that's there for improvement.

I can't be bothered to dig the stats up but I remember it being much discussed that we had among the worst records of PL teams both in attacking and in defending set pieces last season. I didn't manage to watch the Spurs match but it feels like, despite the new coaches we've continued to offer very little at set pieces.

And yes, Barco clearly has excellent delivery, we saw that in preseason multiple times, whether against Japanese dwarves or other varieties of professional footballers. But that doesn't compensate for his defensive weaknesses so he was sent out on loan for a year. Fair enough.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Struggling to remember any dead-ball brilliance from Billy or Pascal tbh.

 

[TugWilson]

2001, with Paul Watson and Bobby Zamora?

Paul Watson -now he could take a great free-kick/corner , really nice guy as well .

Normally we get most things down pat , but set pieces these days go straight to the keeper like a magnet , shirley if you play in the Premier League you should at least be able to play a decent dead ball . All the lads should be given a bit of time at the end of a training session to practice corners and set pieces , or do we need a new set piece trainer ?.