In the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of modern football, where jargon like ‘Gegenpressing’ and ‘inverted full-backs’ dominate conversations, some of the game’s oldest arts were once looked down upon. They were seen as relics of a bygone era. At the forefront of this perceived “dinosaur” football was the humble set-piece. The sentiment was perfectly captured by the phrase: “I was seen as a dinosaur but not many managers moan about set-pieces now.”
The Era of the ‘Dinosaur’ Tactic
For years, managers who built their teams around the meticulous practice of corners, free-kicks, and long throws were labelled pragmatic at best, and agricultural at worst. They were outliers in an age mesmerised by the hypnotic passing triangles of Guardiola’s Barcelona. Their methods were dismissed as ‘long-ball tactics’, a crude attempt to bypass the beautiful midfield play that purists so adored.
The “dinosaur” label stuck because their playbook was considered extinct in a world of nimble, tiki-taka raptors. But as the second part of that powerful statement reveals, the tides have dramatically turned. The dinosaur hasn’t just survived; it has evolved and is now an essential part of every top team’s DNA.
The Data Revolution: Why Managers Stopped Moaning
So, what changed? In a word: data.
The analytics revolution that has swept through football has provided undeniable proof of what the old guard knew all along: set-pieces win matches. In a game of incredibly fine margins, the ability to score from a dead-ball situation is no longer a bonus; it’s a necessity. Expected Goals (xG) models have shown that a well-delivered corner into a dangerous area provides a high-percentage scoring opportunity, often more valuable than 20 passes of sterile possession.
Suddenly, the ‘dinosaur’ philosophy was backed by cold, hard numbers. As a result, not many managers moan about the importance of set-pieces now; in fact, they celebrate it.
Modern Masters: From the Premier League to the ISL
The results are visible every weekend in the Premier League, a league followed with religious fervour from Mumbai to Kolkata. Look at the top of the table. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, celebrated for their fluid attacking play, have become the league’s most formidable set-piece team under specialist coach Nicolas Jover. Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the very paragons of modern football, now dedicate immense resources to perfecting their routines.
The specialist set-piece coach, once a novelty, is now a must-have member of the backroom staff. They are the new rockstars of the training ground, poring over videos and designing clever blocking schemes.
This global trend is not lost on Indian football either. As the Indian Super League (ISL) continues to grow in tactical sophistication, the emphasis on set-pieces has become more pronounced. Coaches understand that a single, well-worked free-kick can be the difference between making the playoffs or going home early.
Vindication: The Old School is the New Essential
The ultimate vindication for the old-school managers is seeing their once-maligned methods being celebrated as ‘marginal gains’ and ‘tactical innovation’. The art of the perfectly delivered cross, the organised chaos in the box, and the towering header are no longer signs of a limited team, but hallmarks of a well-prepared one.
The dinosaur, it turns out, was never truly extinct. It was simply waiting for the world to catch up. And now, as managers across the globe celebrate a goal from a corner, they prove that the old school of thought is no longer old—it’s the new essential.
