Stats 13 September 2022, 19:52

Why AS Monaco are so impressive at set pieces

Very successful at the moment from set pieces, the Rouge et Blanc have already scored nine goals in this way this season across all competitions. Here's a look at the reasons for their incredible efficiency.

They are currently unplayable in this respect! Winners over Olympique Lyonnais this Sunday to finish the seventh round of Ligue 1 thanks to two goals scored from set pieces in a 2-1 victory, AS Monaco’s players have been very successful in recent weeks. After taking the lead thanks to a header by Benoît Badiashile from a corner, the Rouge et Blanc quickly doubled the lead at the Stade Louis-II, with a fine headed goal by Guillermo Maripán at a free kick.

A daily task at training

With a great start to the season on these set plays, Philippe Clement’s men have therefore confirmed their reputation as leaders in this regard. With these two new goals, the club has now scored nine goals across all competitions in this way. That is nearly 65% of the 14 goals they’ve scored so far, across the league and European play. It’s a statistic that says a lot about the work being done on a daily basis in training.

It's true that set pieces have been a focus a lot in recent months, because we only scored two goals from corner last season. The passes delivered by Caio Henrique or Aleksandr Golovin are also very well done taken to their work in repetition.

Philippe ClementAfter the win over Lyon

The Belgian manager recently pointed out at a press conference that AS Monaco had only scored twice last season from a corner… against six already this season! Since the start of the season, Krépin Diatta (Strasbourg), Guillermo Maripán (Eindhoven and Troyes), Benoît Badiashile (Lens and Lyon) and Youssouf Fofana (Troyes) have all found the net at a corner.

Dangerous defenders!

There’s also formal proof that Monegasque defenders and defensive midfielders have been very clinical in this regard. At the end of a cross or even in scoring a header, like Youssouf against PSV or Axel Disasi against Strasbourg and Troyes, these bigger players make their strength speak by winning their aerial duels.

Already last season, Benoît “Air” Badiashile has distinguished himself by being the second defender in Ligue 1 with the best success rate in aerial duels (77%). Placement, timing, physical conditioning, combination play… Once again, it’s no coincidence, but the result of the work being done at the Performance Center.

Galette de Caio + tête de @BadiashileB = 🪄⚽️

‣ 2-1 #ASMOL pic.twitter.com/VWbC2npDnk

— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) September 11, 2022

Caio, Golo’… Some inspired deliveries!

In particular we can also look at the duo of Caio Henrique and Aleksandr Golovin, specialist in set piece deliveries. Already with four assists over seven rounds of league play, the Brazilian is tied for third in this statistic in the top flight. It’s a passion he has cultivated since childhood, as he recently expressed in a press conference.

It's true that since I was very young, I have liked to take set pieces. This area is one of my qualities. At the start of the season, the coach wanted to give me this mission. As a result, I work even more in training because this type of chance can change the course of a game. As a full back, an assist is as good as a goal for a striker.

Caio Henrique

Better, since the beginning of April, only Lionel Messi (11) and Neymar (9) have more assists than the Monegasque left back in Ligue 1 (7), notes Opta. With two more against Lyon, the latter now has 22 since his arrival in the Principality, in just 92 appearances.

A (good) old habit rediscovered

Only Golo’ (26) and Wissam Ben Yedder (25) have done better than him in the current squad. What had become a Rouge et Blanc specialty in the second half of the 2020-2021 season (31 of the 76 goals scored during this season, or 41%), has thus resurfaced at the best of times, in the heart of a busy period of fixtures. Let’s hope it lasts…