Aside from the technical factors, Pedersen also believes there is a mind game when a team succeeds from corner kicks – their reputation generates uncertainty within the opposition.
“At Blackburn, we led the league in terms of goals from set-pieces at one stage,” he says. “When you feel that fear of opponents, it helps you. You see that with Arsenal. Once you see that fear in the opponent, you keep attacking them. We can see that in Blackburn.”
The role of players who are not necessarily the target of the delivery has also become increasingly important. A glance away from the free-kick taker and a glance at the players awaiting the cross reveals a carefully orchestrated routine of scrambling and 'blocking' designed to create a free run onto the ball for the team's most powerful headers.
“The 'dark arts' are the key to success from corner kicks – blocks,” says Stuart Reid, an independent set-piece analyst who has worked with several professional clubs.
“Even if you're a team that doesn't have great aerial abilities, most teams will have at least one player who's good in the air. If you use blocking, you'll likely be able to free that player.”
“Tony Pulis was tremendous at blocking,” Shawcross adds of his former manager at Stoke. “We would organize two or three different blocks before the ball came in, and that would give that player the space to attack the ball. It would be better to have a free player at the front post, a free person at the back post, another free person in the middle and someone blocking the goalkeeper.” .
“All the things that are being talked about now with Mikel Arteta, the Welsh genius Tony Pulis has been doing for years.”
Corner kicks still represent a relatively low scoring opportunity – for example, only 4.6% of corner kicks resulted in a goal last season.
But as Arsenal show – with Arteta's men converting 6% of their corners in 2023-24 – the work on the training ground can pay off.
“Big matches are decided by set pieces these days,” Pedersen concludes. “The better you are at set-pieces, the better chance you have of winning those big games. It's a big X-factor.”