WHEN we look at Celtic’s set pieces this season we can conclude a few interesting things. They are good at some elements and poor at others but, as always, there is a lot of context required. This is exactly why we are looking deeper into the issue.
The set pieces we are looking at in this particular article consist of every attacking and defensive corner, as well as attacking and defensive freekicks.
Attack
In the image above you see a bar graph of the set piece expected goals generated per 90 minutes in the Scottish Premiership so far. As you can see Celtic score very highly with 0.56 expected goals per 90 minutes. Only Hibs comes close, but other than that Celtic are superior in this metric.
Attack - corners
First, we look at the corners as they do occur many times in games and give you room to work with as a coach in terms of disciplines.
In the bar graph above you can see how much xG teams in the Scottish Premiership generate per 90 minutes from corners this season. Celtic are currently leaders in this metric as well with 0.46 xG per 90 minutes which is way above the league average of 0.17 xG.
Celtic have had a good record of scoring goals in the Premiership so far with six goals coming as a result of an attacking corner.
In the game against Kilmarnock Celtic scored from a corner routine which is characteristic for their movement from an inswinging ball. Celtic have two players near the touchline, which can lead to a short corner, but also works as a decoy to lure an extra defensive player to that area when kicking long. Kilmarnock defend it with three players.
In the six-yard box, there is one player featured who is man-marked – with a player zonally marking the first post, as that is the most likely area the ball is delivered. The real difference is made in the central areas where it’s four Celtic runners against four blockers of Kilmarnock.
The way the ball is taken, it’s aimed at the penalty spot. By having a run to the near post and to the far post, you stretch the defence and create space in the middle – effectively increasing the chance of clear shooting opportunity for Celtic.
In the image above you see the corner map of Celtic in attack for the season so far. What’s interesting so far is that the majority of the shots come from the area just outside the six-yard box and the rest of the contacts are first balls won or lost. Celtic aim to come in that area and attack the ball from there – indicating their strength.
Attack – Free kicks
In the bar graph above you can see how well teams are performing from indirect free kicks. The reason why I have chosen this metric is because these require routines and direct free kicks don’t. As you can see Celtic scored fourth in this specific metric, performing slightly above average of 0.06 indirect free kick xG per 90 minutes.
Celtic haven’t been successful yet in scoring after an indirect free kick, but they create danger in those specific areas.
In the image above, you see the attacking set up from a free kick. The key principles are the same with this particular set piece: stretch the defence and create space in the middle. Because St. Mirren are playing a zonal defence with man-markers on the left, they are vulnerable to runs from deep. By employing three runners against them you can attack the central areas.
This is made possible by two players on the left and right side, who remain wide. By doing so they stretch the defence and open space for the three runners – who then have the advantage against a zonal marking system.
While Celtic haven’t scored yet from indirect free kick situations – but they have generated three shots from them with a corresponding xG of 0.46. In the grand scheme of things and considering Celtic’s dominance in games, this is relatively disappointing.
Defence – corners
In the image above you see a bar graph of the set piece expected goals conceded generated per 90 minutes in the Scottish Premiership so far. Celtic score low being second with only title rivals Rangers having conceded fewer xG per 90 minutes. Celtic are doing better with 0.16 xG conceded as the league average is 0.28 xG.
Again, first we look at the corners.
When we look closer at the xG conceded from there we see that Celtic are the best in this metric per 90 minutes. They have the fewest xG conceded in the Premiership with 0.06 xG conceded and the league average is 0.17.
In the image above you see Celtic defending a corner against Hearts. The corner is inswinging from the right and will target the near post area. Celtic have a hybrid structure with a zonal marker on the post and a zonal marker between the post and wide area. The other players man-mark.
The main reason for the good defence is that there is a 3-vs-3 situation from deep. They make sure the 2-vs-2 is tight and give space for the player deeper in order not to be caught out on the run. The marking on the penalty spot prevents the chance to shoot from there, as Celtic use that same tactic in their attacking approach.
As you can see in the shot map above, Celtic conceded seven shots from corner and one shot was converted into a goal (vs Ross County). In total they have conceded 0.40 xG from corners, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s too early to say whether they are underperforming after such a small data set. What’s interesting is that Celtic doesn’t concede xG in the six-yard box, but in the area just outside it.
Defence – free kicks
When we look closer the indirect free kicks and the xG conceded from there we see that Celtic are third in this metric per 90 minutes. They have the third fewest xG conceded in the Premiership with 0.02 xG conceded and the league average is 0.06. Only St. Mirren (0.02xG) and Ross County (0.01xG) score better.
From defensive indirect free kicks, Celtic don't have much to fear from the opposition. In all the games this season so far, only three shots were conceded with a corresponding total of 0.15 xG conceded. It’s safe to say that Celtic do very well in defending those set pieces.
Final thoughts
Celtic are very dominant on the ball from positional play and last weekend’s defeat to St Mirren won’t change that perception. What’s interesting is that Celtic under Ange Postecoglou boast incisive passing play but they also do very well in set pieces. They score highest in attacking set pieces and second in defending set pieces. This indicates that they minimalise the defensive threat and try to maximise the attacking threat.
Furthermore, this also tells us that Celtic have a way of creating goalscoring opportunities, away from the positional play Postecoglou is famous for – which can come in handy when Angeball fails to create in certain games.
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