Giles discusses the emergence of specialized set-piece coaches with Sport; Brentford has been leading the way in this area for the past ten years.
It’s become more normal to see someone emerge from the dugout to oversee corner or free-kick routines, and the Bees have probably led the way as others have followed.
In fact, Jack Wilson of Wolves, Bernardo Cueva of Chelsea, Andreas Georgson of Manchester United, and Nicolas Jover of Arsenal all came through the club first.
The set-piece coach emphasizes how crucial the tiny margins that teams are currently chasing are to their success.
Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, remarked, “It is another weapon [set-pieces] we have,” following the Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League victory over PSG, in which Bukayo Saka scored straight off a free kick.
“We currently have a highly physical team that can duel for the ball, and we have terrific takers. We put a lot of effort into it, so huge props to the coaches and players for accepting that these are game-changing concepts.
