Barcelona’s recent set-piece success explained, coach shows it’s no coincidence

In recent weeks, Barcelona have scored a considerable number of goals from corners, including two against Valencia (both Robert Lewandowski), one in El Clasico (Andreas Christensen), and one against Cadiz (Joao Felix). In total, the Catalans have scored nine times in this fashion over the season, and it’s no coincidence that they are having a lot of success this way.

🚨 Héctor Fort has many options to start against Real Sociedad tomorrow. @jaumemarcet

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 12, 2024

Relevo have revealed exactly why Barcelona are scoring from corners with regularity, and a lot of it comes down to one man: Sergio Alegre, who is regularly seen sitting alongside Xavi Hernandez in the dugout. Alegre is in charge of designing Barcelona’s attacking set-piece routines, and the results behind his planning are coming to fruition.

For Christensen’s goal against Real Madrid, Alegre’s analysis deemed that Toni Kroos was the “weak link” in Los Blancos’ defensive set-up, and this allowed the Dane to climb above him to head home, although it mattered little in the end on that occasion as Barcelona went on to lose 3-2.

Barcelona tend to have many of their players towards the near post, which works well for flick-ons (Lewandowski scored one of these against Valencia). Fermin Lopez and Pau Cubarsi have also been used as a distraction tactic on the opposition’s goalkeepers, to great effect.

Barcelona will hope that their recent success can continue for the final weeks of the season, and they attempt to chase down Girona for second place. It’s definitely something that can give them hope for next season, even if there’s not much else in that regard right now.