Set pieces are an incredibly important part of football, with between 25% and 33% of goals scored coming from a set piece. They are equally important in Fantrax EPL, and in these articles we will highlight the trends in set pieces that will lead to player value fluctuation.
Be sure to check out our other Inner Circle features, including the Fixture Difficulty Tracker and Weekly Projections.
Check out @DraftLad's article on why set pieces matter so much and our Set Piece Tracker for more set piece data!
Gameweek 22 & 23 Set Piece Takers
Arsenal
Did not play in GW22, as game was postponed. In GW23 Smith-Rowe, Saka, Martinelli, and Odegaard all got 2+ corners, with Odegaard the main man on free kicks taking all 4, including 2 shots.
Aston Villa
In GW22, Digne, Luiz, and Coutinho (as a sub) all got 1 corner. Digne and Luiz each got 1 free kick. McGinn did not play. In GW23, Digne and Luiz each got 1 corner, while Luiz had 3 free kicks and Coutinho 1. It appears Digne may outrank McGinn for left footed set pieces, and Luiz and Coutinho its yet to be decided for righties.
Brentford
In their 2 games of GW22, the only set pieces BRE had were 4 corners from Jensen and 2 corners from Mbeumo. In GW23, Mbeumo had a monopoly with 4 corners and 2 free kicks. Rather strange considering previous taker Janelt started all the games. Seems like a significant shift away from Janelt, but one to keep an eye on.
Brighton
Pascal Gross got 3 rare starts in GW22/23 in the absence of some of his more preferred teammates. As a result he split corners and free kicks down the middle with MacAllister. 6 to 12 for corners and 1 to 2 for free kicks (Gross to AMA). Gross also took, but missed a penalty. He was subbed off early in GW23 though and with Bissouma and Mwepu back soon, his time might be up again.
Burnley
Did not play in GW22, as game was postponed. Against Arsenal, Westwood and McNeil each had 2 corners. Against Watford, Westwood and Cornet each had 2 corners and 1 free kick. A worrying sign for McNeil managers, with Cornet back healthy.
Chelsea
Against Brighton, Mount, Alonso, and Ziyech all started and got 2 corners a piece. CHO also started and took 1. Against City, Ziyech took their 1 corner and Hudson-Odoi took their 1 free kick. Alonso started, but Mount did not. In GW23, Mount and Ziyech split corners and free kicks and Alonso did not start.
Crystal Palace
Did not play in GW22, as game was postponed. In GW23 Olise and Gallagher split corners and Olise had 3 free kicks to Gallagher's 1.
Everton
In GW22, Gray took 7 corners and Gordon took 1. Gray also took 3 corners, but new signing Mykolenko also took 2 (inaccurate) free kick crosses! Townsend did not play. In GW23, Townsend and Gomes started and split corners. Gray started and had 0. Gordon subbed on for Townsend and took 5. Gordon, Townsend, and Gray each had free kicks. Gordon, Gray, and Gomes are all righties, and Townsend is a lefty, but with Lampard coming in, lineups and priorities may change.
Leicester City
In GW22 & GW23, Maddison had a monopoly with 7 corners and 24free kick crosses
Leeds
As normal, in GW22 & 23, Raphinha and Dallas split corners (4 to 3 this time) and Raphinha got all 3 free kicks, including 2 shots off target.
Liverpool
In GW22, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson split duties as normal, each taking 1 free kick and multiple corners. Fabinho took and scored a penalty in Salah's AFCON absence.
Manchester City
In GW22, Foden and KDB split corners down the middle and KDB had 3 free kicks including 1 shot on target. In GW23, Foden and KDB still took the majority, but Silva and Grealish got involved as well each taking a corner.
Manchester United
In both their GW22 games, Bruno Fernandes and Telles split corners down the middle, but Telles had 6 free kicks. Ronaldo took 1 direct free kick shot.
Newcastle
Trippier and Fraser split corners down the middle (7 to 4) and Trippier had 2 free kicks to Fraser's 1. Jonjo Shelvey also had 1 direct free kick resulting in a goal!
Norwich City
In GW22 & 23, Rashica had a full monopoly with 9 corners and 7 free kicks!
Southampton
JWP all day, including a free kick goal!
Tottenham
In Son's absence, Reguilon and Winks each took 4 corners and Kane took their 1 direct free kick shot in GW22. In GW23, Winks took all 4 corners (from both sides) and Reguilon did not start.
Watford
In GW22, Ngakia, Cleverley, Femenia and Kayembe all took at least 1 corner for Watford. Dennis and Kucka each 1 free kick shot. In the first game of GW23, Cucho, Cleverley and Kayembe split corners (2, 2, 1) with Kayembe taking their 1 free kick cross. In the second game of GW23, Kiko Femenia was involved again and took 3 corners as did Cleverley. Femenia also took all 2 free kick crosses. The 2nd game of GW23 was Hodgson's 1st, so Femenia could be potentially in good shape going forward (particularly with their first clean sheet in 31 gameweeks).
West Ham
In GW22, Cresswell took all 4 corners and Bowen had 1 free kick cross. In GW23, Fornals, Bowen, and Cresswell each had 1 corner and Cresswell and Rice each had 1 free kick.
Wolves
Ait-Nouri and Podence each had 1 corner, and Moutinho took 2 free kick crosses in GW22. Raul Jimenez took and scored a penalty. In GW23, Ait-Nouri, Podence, and Moutinho each had 1 corner.
Things to Watch Out For From This Week
Will Winks and Reguilon continue to be the primary takers with Son out?
How will Watford's situation shake out, particularly with Hodgson's hiring?
Will Townsend or Gordon stick in Everton's starting lineup and get sets over Gray?
Has Mbeumo fully won set pieces and Janelt lost them?
Will Cornet take more sets than McNeil?
Things to Watch Out For From Previous Weeks
How will Coutinho and Digne factor into Villa's set piece taker equation? Yes so far, McGinn missing out, less so Luiz
Is KDH here to stay and will he keep taking right-sided, left-footed corners over Maddison? Seemed like an anomaly, Maddison had a monopoly in the last 2 matches
Will Trippier have a near set-piece monopoly? Taking the majority, but Fraser still getting around 30%
Will Olise or Eze ever start for Palace and have priority over Hughes, Mili and Gallagher for set pieces? Olise has begun to start more during AFCON and take set pieces.
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