The taker is the most important player in the set piece
Referencing: Arsenal’s set-piece success: Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and the perfect corner delivery
Ahmed Walid for The Athletic:
Speaking from his (and Odegaard’s) home country of Norway, Morten Gamst Pedersen says he rates Arsenal’s attacking set pieces as the best in the league, with their delivery being a big part of that.
“It is easier for Arsenal to create those (set-piece) chances because they believe in the player kicking the ball and know it is coming in the area where they are supposed to be,” says the former winger, who played for Blackburn Rovers from 2004-13. “They can go 100 per cent forward, where the ball is going to arrive.”
Pedersen also praises Odegaard, Rice and Saka’s deliveries, and mentions the fear factor such quality puts into opposing defences at corners.
“Everybody’s got their own technique,” he says. “If you put it with pace and dip, maybe there’s a bigger chance to score direct from the corner — a little flick can make a big difference. But if you clip it in and the ball is cleared, it doesn’t get cleared so long and will still end up in the box in a goalscoring area.
“It depends what you want, and I see Arsenal doing both. They clip it in, and sometimes they play it (with a) really high pace.”
This is something I’ve talked about previously. The pace and accuracy of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka’s cross is insane and I agree, the fact those attacking the cross can go 100 per cent forward is game-changing.