Farioli’s lab pays off: set-pieces shine above past seasons | OneFootball

One of the most evident traits of the new FC Porto is their set pieces. Essential in tightly contested matches or against very deep defenses, they have resulted in goals in the first three league games, always from corner kicks. Only in Alvalade did the victory not come from the schemes practiced at Olival.

In the first round, against V. Guimarães, in a short execution, Alberto Costa assisted Samu; on Gil Vicente's ground, Gabri Veiga crossed for Froholdt to open the scoring; in the third round, with 2-0 on the scoreboard, Casa Pia's defense couldn't clear the play and Alberto Costa blasted for a goal. In that match there were also other finishing opportunities originated from corners that created difficulties for the defense.

In contrast, last season, between the periods of Vítor Bruno and Martín Anselmi, the dragons converted only four goals from corner kicks, triumphing in all these games: Galeno scored against Arouca (4-0), Nico González pointed against Estrela da Amadora (2-0) and Boavista (4-0), and a header from Moura secured the victory in Farense (1-0). Even including free kicks - none direct to the goal resulted in a goal - only two more goals emerged throughout the previous season: Tiago Djaló against Hoffenheim (2-0) and Otávio in the draw (1-1) with Santa Clara.

For this threat that Farioli's team is perfecting, the stature of some reinforcements is an asset. Central defender Bednarek is 1.90 m tall, Froholdt, who also takes corners, is three centimeters shorter, and Luuk de Jong, a specialist in aerial play, is 1.88 m. Add to this Nehuén Pérez, close to 1.90 m, and Samu, who surpasses this mark, plus the most recent reinforcement, Kiwior, who also hovers around 1.90 m. The rest results from work and analysis at Olival, to which the technical team always dedicates a substantial part of the training. The effects are already visible and the season has barely started.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.