Free kicks & the wall

Whenever we get a free kick, it usually drives me nuts seeing three or four players hovering right by the ball—one guy positioning it, another whispering instructions in his ear... 🙄

Then you’ve got the opposing team playing games with their wall, shifting it forward or back just to mess with the rhythm, while they try to wedge their guys into the line... 🙄

So, everything is set for the strike. I look up, and there are typically three to five guys standing in that live wall, which means the defense is actually shorthanded—it gives the other team enough bodies to commit to an attack, basically matching whatever number the striker has in that wall.

They could easily create a numbers advantage if they decide to go for a cross instead of just hammering it at the net.

But most of the time, they just take the shot and hope for the best. 😕

And let's be honest, most of those goals end up coming from crosses anyway...

Yeah, and what’s even the point of this post?

Since we're talking about free kicks, Michael Jordan practices by putting a damn plastic wall just 18 feet from the ball. That's why he's the greatest shooter to ever live. 🙏

The whole point is they’re wasting their time on nonsense instead of drilling combinations that actually work. And I guess I agree with the OP—it makes zero sense why they aren't practicing scenarios where just one player is standing by the ball while the other three try to create an overlap. It shouldn't be about some basic "I'll pass it once and then he shoots" routine, because if you look at how things go down, the moment someone touches the ball—assuming it isn't a shot—the defenders in the wall jump out to close them down after maybe two or three passes, leaving someone with a wide-open shot and no wall in the way. I think that’s something they could really nail if they actually practiced it properly.

Every single touch increases the risk of a turnover, giving the opponent an easy fast break...

True, you could master that with a solid team through constant practice, and it would likely be quite effective. The real question is whether the time investment actually pays off...

Fair point, I guess 👍

What’s the point of having some fancy stock if you don't have a killer marksman on your side?

Michael Jordan is literally all you need to see. I was just sitting here watching his greatest hits reel🙏 🙏

Gregory Walker15 said:Every single extra touch just increases the odds of you messing up—you lose the ball, they pick it up, and suddenly it’s a fast break against you...

Yeah, you could probably drill that to perfection if you had a solid squad to work with, and it might actually pay off—it really just comes down to whether the time spent practicing it is worth the actual payoff...

Exactly. It’s like how teams spend endless hours drilling free throws; they should probably be doing the same for corner kicks. Having that extra man in the box just creates a much better look at the goal.

It would be pretty interesting to dig into some stats on set pieces... I have a feeling fewer than 5% of free kicks actually turn into goals.

btw not every team has access to Google

Gerald Rivera17 said:Precisely. Much like how athletes spend endless hours perfecting their free throws, they ought to be drilling those corner kicks. If you flood the box with extra bodies, you're naturally going to manufacture a more credible opportunity to find the back of the net.

It would be quite illuminating to dig into some actual statistics regarding free kicks; if my intuition serves me correctly, probably fewer than 5% of them actually result in a goal.

Besides, not every single roster possesses a talent like Michael Jordan.

then again, some teams have a Messi🙏 🙏 🙏

Some kind of king, Rivaldo 🙏

So, what's the deal?

There are a handful of players out there who might finally find the back of the net after fifteen or twenty tries. And then what? 🙄

Is that really how the team strategy is going to work—just praying one of those guys actually scores once every five games? 😕

no idea said:Every single extra touch just increases the odds of you messing up, giving the opponent a turnover, and getting caught on the fast break...

True. You could definitely drill that perfectly with a solid squad, and it would be pretty effective. It really just comes down to how much time you're willing to spend practicing it versus if it’s actually worth the effort...

You could drill that until it's perfect, and it would only need to work once because every subsequent team would already be prepared for it.🙂

Roger Allen3 said:you could really sell that idea—it would only need to work once, because then every team coming up against you would be braced for it...🙂

Yeah? And how exactly does that work? By having fewer guys standing in the wall?

Look, the play actually makes sense, especially since you can get four or five players into the low block; that gives you an extra three players to work with—assuming two stay back for cover, I guess—which might allow for enough combinations to finally get within two yards of the goal.

Gerald Rivera17 said:Wait, what? You'd actually reduce the number of players in the wall?

Just look at our National Team. If we let someone like Christian McCaffrey take free kicks, we’d be fine just by keeping an eye on the defenders and our two strikers. Having someone like Sauce Gardner standing alone at the edge of the box doesn't help anyone much anyway.😁

If I were the head coach, I’d give it a shot—why not?🙂 If it works, great! If not, whatever, we missed a few practices, it’s not the end of the world.🙂

Honestly, you don't even need to be standing two feet from the net. You just need to get the ball while facing the goal from maybe the 15 or 20-yard mark, assuming you have a few seconds to let it rip without anyone blocking your lane.

Sergei Cosmi said:just play our usual defensive setup... let the midfield control the tempo—as long as we protect the center backs, the holding mids, and our two strikers, we're fine. just leave the big defender out there alone at the edge of the box, why bother with anything else? 😁

If I were calling the shots, I’d actually give things a shot—I mean, why not? 🙂 if it works, great... if it doesn't, well, we missed a few practices, it's not like the world is ending 🙂

Honestly, if a coach can't figure out how to use an extra body near the penalty area, then you've got a problem with the coaching... and probably the players too.

Casey Jackson4 said:You don't even need to be standing right there in the six-yard box. Just get the ball to a guy facing the net from about 15 or 20 yards out. Give him a few seconds to let it rip without anyone blocking his lane.

There’s an even better way. Just blast it from distance with zero fancy passing. Goal. 😉

Let them do whatever crazy stunts they want, as long as it actually works in the end.🙂

I’m sitting here wondering why these guys keep missing easy shots... I mean, it explains why every third play ends up being a goal against us.

But seriously, why are our boys in the MLS such terrible finishers? They practically hand over goals every single time they lose possession.