Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. The sports popularity is especially strong across Europe where English football, and particularly the Premier League, is one of the most followed sporting events.
One thing that goes hand in hand with watching football is placing a sports bet. There’s nothing that makes a match more exciting than when you’ve got some money to be won as well.
Some people don’t have a strategy for how and when they place their bets – but these are the ones who are taking more of a risk. The more you know about football and the players, the more educated your bets are going to be. This gives you a better chance of making the right decision and winning some money at the end of the game.
With that in mind, we’ll be looking at some of the best players at the moment and what their strengths are. We’ll be focussing specifically on set pieces as these are the routines that players have had the most practise in.
Let’s take a look through what set pieces are and who is the best in the business at what they do.
What is a set piece?
In football, a set piece is a routine that players will have practised in training to get the ball back in play. When the ball has been kicked out of play by a player, the other team gets to perform a set piece to get the ball back in play.
This might seem like something that should be relatively easy and not require much thought. However, all the best teams and players know that each move should be strategic. The more thought that is put behind each move, the bigger the chance they have at winning.
A set piece can be anything from a corner, a free kick, goal kick, throw in or a penalty. All of these depend on how the ball was taken out of play in the first place.
Strategy behind different set pieces
- Corner or throw in
A corner or a throw in is where a goal could be likely to take place due to the proximity of the players to the goal. But the success of this all depends on the set piece that is carried out.
The players can either play the throw in or corner long or short. There will often be a player waiting no matter where the ball is thrown and they will have gotten into their designated area as soon as the ball is out of play.
Sometimes they will ‘launch it’ back in play and this tends to mean that the ball has been thrown directly into the penalty area. You’ll also hear commentators say that a player has ‘swung the ball in’ which tends to be when the ball is thrown in from the corner into the penalty area.
- Free kick or penalty
A free kick or penalty will result in distinctly different set pieces but both are likely to result in a goal. There are lots of different ways to go about attempting to score in the instance of a free kick or penalty.
The player attempting to score will either shoot directly at the goal, or attempt to kick the ball into the penalty area. Defence players will often crowd the goal area in order to deflect the ball away from the goal. But whether or not the offensive players score, will be in the hands of the player that they kick it to.
Best set piece specialists in football today
- Bukayo Saka
Top of the list has got to be Bukayo Saka when talking about skills and set pieces. He’s currently the best player in the Premier League and is one of the nicest with it. Saka is quick to make decisions as well as being a talented player – what more could you want?
- Harry Kane
It wouldn’t be a list of talented footballers without Harry Kane. He’s been the captain of the England team since 2018 and has led us closer to victory than we’ve been in years. In 2022, he managed to be on target with 26 goals in 37 games.
- Martin Odegaard
The Arsenal player Martin Odegaard is one of the best players around at the moment. He’s known for being able to keep his head in stressful situations which makes him one of the best set piece specialists around.
- Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne is one of those players that makes the technical look simple. He’s already notched 18 goals since the season started and his set piece work is legendary. If you’re going to be placing your bets, he’s one who’s sure to bring it home.
Football is a nail biting sport and the more you know about it, the better you can judge who’s going to win or lose. Who is going to get your bet in the next game?
