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Set-Piece Specialists - A Dying Breed?

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dmishra

dmishra

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Just a break from discussing the usual Liverpool stuff - I was thinking about this yesterday. While the last few years had several set-piece exponents, this generation seems to be marked by an absence of their breed. I’m talking here about players who made a living out of taking set-pieces – players like Beckham, Ian Harte, Mihajlovic, Juninho etc. who were known first for their prowess with the dead ball and then for their abilities as footballers, as opposed to players like Ronaldo, Drogba etc. who can hit a good free-kick when they want to.

So the question is are any such players there currently in the Premier League. I reckon Aurelio and David Bentley would have a fair shot at being the sort if they played more regularly. But outside of them, I can’t think of too many. What about La Liga and Serie A? Any thoughts?
 
Good point dmishra.

I can think of fuck-all off the top of my head. Van Persie puts in a fantastic free-kick, after that I'm stumped.
 
Nakamura. And let's not forget Aurelio... he can miss a curler by one yard every time better than anyone.
 
Nakamura's a good shout. Charlie Mulgrew of Aberdeen is also quite renowned in the SPL, I believe.
 
I think Aurelio and Bentley are bad examples as neither are great in this respect or really known for it, but the point is a good one. Putting aside the players at the end of their careers, there isn't really a new generation of players that are renowned for their set-piece ability.

Bale springs to mind, but he has kinda gone off the radar. Garay had a bit of a reputation at Racing, but he won't be taking free-kicks at Madrid.
 
Tangent here, but I wonder what a Torres set piece looks like, I can't remember seeing him take many.
 
[quote author=keniget link=topic=37446.msg999293#msg999293 date=1259220136]
I think Aurelio and Bentley are bad examples as neither are great in this respect or really known for it, but the point is a good one. Putting aside the players at the end of their careers, there isn't really a new generation of players that are renowned for their set-piece ability.

Bale springs to mind, but he has kinda gone off the radar. Garay had a bit of a reputation at Racing, but he won't be taking free-kicks at Madrid.

[/quote]

They're both bit bit of a stretch which sort of highlights my point. Bentley actually does have a decent reputation - he scored a few for Blackburn and for the under 21s. But he's hardly been playing for Tottenham to do much more. As for Aurelio, I think he flatters to deceive very often. But he's scored a couple of beauties for us, and I think if he played more consistently, he would emerge as a serious threat.

Bale's a good shout - he does have a reputation, but then again, he's been riddled with injuries to make much of an impression.
 
Can't forget that portugese twat. He's a constant danger from set pieces
 
It's an interesting point. Another thing that's faded away is the dead ball routine. There used be quite a few variations - the Sweden team's one, with Brolin receiving the ball in the area, was good - and then, after players appeared to run out of ideas and were reduced to dummying a shot, it pretty much disappeared.

Of course, this was the most notorious:

Coventry Free Kick 1970
 
I think that was ruled to be illegal afterwards (the goal was allowed at the time but noone could do it again) because the guy taking the free kick was touching the ball twice or something
 
Not for that reason Richey, the rule is that the ball must travel it's circumference before it can be played again and as the ball just went straight up it has been deemed illegal. The rule should be changed, why should it have to travel it's circumference along the ground?
 
Aurelio is excellent at getting his free kicks 'just wide'. RVP takes a cracking free kick as Ryan said above.
If it is indirect and the ball is rolled then Gerrard is your man.

I agree though there is no stand out exponent of the free kick.
 
[quote author=Pesam link=topic=37446.msg999349#msg999349 date=1259230254]
Not for that reason Richey, the rule is that the ball must travel it's circumference before it can be played again and as the ball just went straight up it has been deemed illegal. The rule should be changed, why should it have to travel it's circumference along the ground?
[/quote]

Oh okay, fair enough. Sorry. But yes I agree, that seems a rather pointless rule.
 
Is it maybe because of the changes to the ball? A lot of free-kicks seem to go over the bar these days.

As for set-piece specialists in the PL... well, there's Rory Delap. He's *really* specialised.
 
Ha! Do you remember John Beck's Cambridge team? They pretty much subsisted on long throws. What a weird episode that was.
 
[quote author=gkmacca link=topic=37446.msg999559#msg999559 date=1259250004]
Ha! Do you remember John Beck's Cambridge team? They pretty much subsisted on long throws. What a weird episode that was.
[/quote]

If memory serves correctly they had Dion Dublin and another very tall forward called John Taylor up front and they just launched all throw in's, free kicks etc into the oppostion box. They made Stoke look like Brazil.
 
Ah, yes. Juninho from Olympique Lyon really had a mean free-kick. I don't know if he's still playing though. I think he went to Arabia last year.

From the still active players in the bigger leagues I guess it's Cristiano Ronaldo or Alessandro Del Piero who are good free-kick takers.
 
Liverpool have a dead ball specialist playing for the rezzies.

He's fucking good too, but I'm old and can't remember his name, he's foreign though, I'll trawl utube and try get some clips
 
Liverpool coach McMahon delighted with matchwinner Pacheco
09.10.09 | tribalfootball.com
READ MORE NEWS ON: Burnley, Liverpool
Liverpool reserves coach John McMahon was pleased with Dani Pacheco's free-kick winner in their 1-0 win over Burnley.

"He doesn't lack in confidence, does he?" said McMahon. "His mentality is good because he missed one earlier, but you can see what he can do from free-kicks, which is fantastic for us."

As for Pacheco, he was delighted to score the winner and feels the Reds now have a never-say-die attitude that was lacking last season.

"I am very happy to score and we are more than happy with the three points," he told liverpoolfc.tv. "We worked hard for the whole match and we are delighted to win it in the last minute.

"The spirit is higher than it was last season. In this kind of game last year we probably would have lost it, so it was good to maintain the winning run and take the three points."
 
Aurelio me hole. 1 decent goal and one shit goal in 2 seasons isn't a specialist.

Juninho now there's a freekick taker.

Drogba would be my pick along with Gerrard in the league.
 
He's very good. He doesn't actually do anything 'special,' apart from hit the target. But that's very appealing!
 
[quote author=Dreambeliever link=topic=37446.msg999802#msg999802 date=1259269727]
Aurelio me hole. 1 decent goal and one shit goal in 2 seasons isn't a specialist.

Juninho now there's a freekick taker.

Drogba would be my pick along with Gerrard in the league.
[/quote]

Drogba is fucking shit at free-kicks Dreamy.
 
Zola was an absolute genius freekick taker, one season in Italy he could not stop scoring them his record was scored 1 in 3 from direct free kicks id be surprised if it has ever been bettered.
 
Roberto Baggio was a true legend when it comes to freekicks.

Del Piero somewhat emulated him in that department.

Becks, Ronaldo and Juninho are other great freekick-takers I can think of.

I've always wondered why Gerrard wasn't hitting a few more than he actually is. Let him blast it towards goal. Agger could do the same once in a while.
 
[quote author=the_khl link=topic=37446.msg1000137#msg1000137 date=1259329359]
Roberto Baggio was a true legend when it comes to freekicks.

Del Piero somewhat emulated him in that department.

Becks, Ronaldo and Juninho are other great freekick-takers I can think of.

I've always wondered why Gerrard wasn't hitting a few more than he actually is. Let him blast it towards goal. Agger could do the same once in a while.
[/quote]


Sinisa Mihajlovic.

[flash=400,400]http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/bxYUdaImkQA[/flash]
 
José Luis Chilavert.

Mad as a fucking hatter and lethal from a set-piece. Well, for a keeper anyway...
 
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