SEPT 4 I will admit to having a specific pet hate in football, a certain tactical element of the game that I really dont like.

Its not diving, time-wasting, shirt-tugging or anything else of that negative nature. Those cynical aspects of the game, whilst admittedly not particularly edifying, are inevitable in any team sport with a strong competitive edge.

No. Its something else entirely: the thing that annoys me more than anything else is short corners.

It seems pretty self-evident to me that corners played directly into the heart of the penalty area present one of the most obvious routes to scoring a goal.

After all, corners provide a rare opportunity for a teams best dead-ball striker to compose himself and send an unimpeded delivery directly into the dangerous area immediately in front of the opponents goal, where the attacking teams most accurate and powerful headers of a ball are waiting to guide it goalwards.

Even if the defending team succeed in repelling the initial corner, the sheer number of bodies in a small area means that anything can happen: unintentional fouls, fortuitous deflections and defensive errors can easily result in a goal.

Furthermore, even a defensive clearance doesnt mean an end to the danger: with so many attacking players in the penalty area, if the second phase of possession is won by the attacking team, they can easily maintain the pressure by putting the ball straight back into the danger zone.

Finally, corners can be meticulously rehearsed on the training ground, where strategies such as bending the rules by blocking defenders to create space can be practised and practised until they are perfected.

Considering all the above, I have never been able to understand it when teams decline the opportunity to deliver a corner directly into the penalty area, electing instead to play it short and try to find a more meandering route towards goal.

Short corners immediately remove one of the biggest advantages enjoyed by the attacking team the fact that no defender can be within 10 yards of the ball before it is struck. As soon as the corner is played short, it allows the defending team to close down the man in possession, making it much more difficult to deliver an accurate cross.

See the original post here:
Man United and Barca cut corners for success