Stats Analysis: Serie A’s Set-Piece Specialists

With Milan having stumbled at home to Fiorentina last week and thus holding a title-deciding door open for Turin’s Old Lady, Juventus kicked off against Palermo last Saturday evening knowing a win would take them top of the table for the first time in over two months. The opening goal in a game which had taken on huge significance was always going to prove vital and the joy on the faces of those of a Bianconeri persuasion came heavily tinged with relief as Leonardo Bonucci headed home an Andrea Pirlo corner in emphatic fashion.

That the goal came from a set-piece was, as the player himself said in a post-game interview with Sky Italia, “a definite boost as it broke the deadlock of a difficult game”. From there taking the three points – and sole lead of the Serie A standings – was relatively straight forward and Antonio Conte’s team had Pirlo’s immaculate delivery from dead ball situations to thank for yet another goal. With defences as tight and well organised as lazy pundits would expect from the nation that brought Catenaccio to the world, those free kicks and corners have become increasingly important as more and more teams use them to counter act ever improving tactical awareness even among the smallest teams.

It is telling indeed that there were no fewer than five set-piece goals this weekend which, when added to the same number of penalties, account for almost 29% of Round 31’s goals. This is very much in-keeping with the trend of the season in Italian football which has seen 178 goals from set-pieces (20.34%) and a further 87 penalties, giving a combined 30.29% of the leagues 875 goals. Here is a look at the seven best teams at delivering in those situations.

7. Napoli: 11 goals and 3 penalties

Dead ball quality is not the first attribute that springs to mind when thinking of Walter Mazzarri’s team and yet they have almost double the amount of set piece goals as their five fast-break strikes, supposedly a hallmark of this exciting team. Exceptional delivery from both Ezequil Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik has gifted simple goals to players such as Edinson Cavani and Hugo Campagnaro as well as goals for the men themselves.

6. Juventus: 12 goals and 1 penalty

Bonucci’s header against Palermo was Andrea Pirlo’s tenth assist of the season, to which he added another against Lazio, and his fifth from set-pieces. Add in a brilliant goal from the midfielder direct from a free kick against Catania this term and it is easy to see the impact his specialist skills have added to the Bianconeri since his summer switch from Milan. Combined with the height advantage enjoyed by Juventus against most teams, Conte has a great weapon at his disposal.

5. Parma: 12 goals and 5 penalties

One of the teams who took advantage of their opponents at a corner last weekend, Parma have Sebastian Giovinco to thank for their prowess, both in terms of his execution on free kicks and corners but also winning them; the support striker has won more penalties than any other player in the league. The former Juve man has four set piece assists to his name, just one more than fellow attacking playmaker Jonathan Biabiany.

4. Palermo: 13 goals and 4 penalties

There is only one place to look when it comes to the Sicilian side and that is back to a recent column here on WhoScored.com, extolling the impact of talismanic Captain Fabrizio Miccoli. The number ten has continued his excellent form, his twelve goals – and equal number of assists – vital to the progress seen under Bertolo Mutti at the Renzo Barbera.

3. Milan: 13 goals and 9 penalties

If Miccoli is Palermo’s Prince at set-pieces, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Milan’s reigning Monarch. Responsible for every one of those penalties, he is almost as deadly from outside the box and is ably assisted by Antonio Cassano, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Aquilani who, like the big Swede, have all notched assists from set-piece situations.

2. Roma: 14 goals and 2 penalties

Another on the list of clubs not readily associated with exploiting a height advantage, the Capital side also added to their tally this past round thanks to a superb – if somewhat consolation – free kick goal from Erik Lamela. More important to their high ranking in this category however are Miralem Pjanić (with three assists on corners) and of course, club Captain Francesco Totti who has scored two of his five Serie A goals from the penalty spot while five of his six assists have come from corners.

1. Catania: 16 goals and 8 penalties

Unlike the collective approach of the Giallorossi, Catania’s presence atop this list can be summed up in two words; Francesco Lodi. Already the subject of an earlier focus piece here on WhoScored, it bears repeating that of the eight goals to his name, the fantasista has netted six penalties and two direct free kicks. His set piece prowess comes into even sharper focus when analysing his five assists. He has provided two goals from free kicks as well as three from corners, all of which combines to make him comfortably Serie A’s ultimate exponent of this increasingly valuable art.