HAVING appeared vulnerable defensively at corner kicks in recent weeks, Rangers brilliantly capitalised at two set-pieces against Red Star in midweek.
Under Steven Gerrard during the 2020/21 season, eight league goals were scored directly from corner kick routines. Remnants of the practices established by Gerrard and technical coach Tom Culshaw have continued under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, notably Alfredo Morelos’ movement to the back post and Joe Aribo front-post glancing headers, the cause of a second goal in Dortmund. In Thursday’s 3-0 win over Red Star Belgrade, a new routine was rehearsed which led to Morelos putting the hosts two goals ahead.
“They [Red Star] defend in zones so we trained to get the first set-piece short,” van Bronckhorst said after the game.
“In the first-half that worked out really well with the threat we had. Second-half they changed it so we couldn’t do that. We still have that aerial threat with the players we got and I think Leon [Balogun] scored a great goal.”
By zonal, van Bronckhorst refers to a defensive structure that marks space instead of opponents.
The game’s corner touch map, which shows where first contact was made, highlights three short corners played in the first 45 minutes. Before the visitors changed their zonal approach, the three red dots symbolise occasions in which Ryan Jack was found with a short pass before looking to cross to the back post.
Analysing the visitor’s zonal set-up, we can see a bank of six and three.
Srinic (55) guards the six-yard box ahead of Katai (10) with Sanogo ahead of both centre-backs Dragovic (15) and Erakovic (25), Ivanic (4) covers the far post.
A line up, Omoijuanfo (99), Rodic (23) and Piccini (24) occupy the zones just ahead of the six-yard box.
The strongest headers of the ball, presumably the centre-back pairing of Dragovic and Erakovic, are stationed closer to the front post than the back post, which is incidentally the area that will soon be exploited.
Additionally, the presence of Ryan Kent and James Tavernier over the corner means Red Star can’t determine whether the delivery will be an outswinger or inswinger.
As Kent starts his run, Joe Aribo makes for the front post while John Lundstram, Alfredo Morelos and Leon Balogun start to attack the area. This, however, is merely a decoy to drag the visitors toward the front post.
READ MORE: Giovanni van Bronckhorst's three Rangers alterations that stagnated Red Star and supercharged hosts
Kent instead plays short into Jack, to move the zonal structure van Bronckhorst referenced, triggering the defensive block to rush towards the ball. Notice Connor Goldson and Morelos have edged towards the back post, where Jack is aiming his cross.
With Red Star’s strongest headers of the ball central, Rangers have created an overload at the back post where their strongest aerial threat, Goldson, can overpower attacking midfielder Ivanic.
Jack’s delivery falls short, so too does the clearing header. Morelos has reacted brilliantly to Jack’s underhit cross and moved into an area from which he can break the deadlock.
The goal’s StatsBomb freezeframe shows how disorganised Red Star were by the time Morelos found the back of the net.
In a game defined by small margins, the set-piece preparation had a huge impact on the eventual outcome.
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