After a weekend where set-pieces proved to be key, disruption in the corners has come under a huge microscope, but not everyone is happy with the dark art that goes on inside the 18-yard box.
Arsenal were masters, scoring both of their goals against Chelsea from corner kicks. They have made set-piece goals their trademark, but the impact they have on goalkeepers as they jostle for space, keep and jockey is increasingly questionable.
Liverpool manager Arne Slott has admitted that Premier League matches are no longer “fun to watch” and that his “soccer mentality doesn’t like” the emphasis on dead-ball situations.
Traditionalists may argue that he needs to let go of his utopia and respect their place in the game. Others will look at the referee and say he’s been too soft for too long. Disallowing a goal from a push if there are multiple pushes within a few seconds has always been a subject of debate.
Is that aspect of the game more than a save, or can game bosses actually ensure that dead-ball situations are fairly contested? New legislation is always being considered, and the question is whether any significant changes are needed.
read more: Former Premier League referee calls for firm approach to corners – ‘It’s become like rugby’read more: Premier League blames mistakes, Chelsea vs Arsenal clear VAR decision
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Mirror Football’s writers have given their views on what can and cannot be done to reduce the chaos that occurs every time the ball enters the penalty area.
Jeremy Cross
It may be considered old-fashioned, but soccer is a physical sport. At least, that was the case until modern times, when the national sport was purified and downgraded to the equivalent of croquet. There are only handbags crowded around the corner.
Let them keep doing it because all teams are guilty. But the authorities won’t do that. They actively participate in making football better, but in the end they only succeed in making it worse.
Arsenal remain masters of scoring from dead ball situations (Image: Getty Images)
So, with the introduction of VAR, which has changed the sport to such a detrimental degree, why not the Premier League go all out and install a camera on each crossbar?
Hiring someone to monitor the footage before a free kick or corner kick allows them to communicate directly with the referee and let him know who committed the most egregious infraction. The last thing football needs is another suspension of play, but it’s too late to worry about it.
Felix Keith
To be honest, the game is a mess at the moment. With the introduction and continued enhancement of VAR, a downward spiral begins and things only get worse as each Ifab meeting tries to dig themselves out of the mess they have created.
The corner grapple is pretty far down my list of complaints, below the shoddy handball rules and long VAR delays, but it turned out to be pretty ridiculous. If referees suddenly started cracking down on holding by giving out some penalties, would they eradicate it?
Chelsea immediately reprimanded the referee after conceding a goal from a corner kick
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Probably not right away, but after a while the players will realize that it is no longer open season in the box from set pieces.
These tend to oscillate between two extremes, and in my opinion the current version is preferable to the other extreme, where every slightest hint of contact is a penalty. But it would be great to see a middle ground again, even if in the short term it means more anger and cries of “All we want is consistency!”
Andy Dunn
The solution to unsightly corner kick scraps lies solely in the hands of the referees. For many years, there was a school of thought that believed goalies were an overprotective breed. perhaps. And if that’s the case, it’s time to make it official.
Keepers should rest assured that if they experience any interference during a corner kick, they will be awarded a free kick. If you know your opponent is likely to be penalized for even the slightest contact, you’ll likely come out with more confidence and deal with a corner kick sent into the six-yard area – just as Senne Lamence did recently at Everton.
Corners are becoming increasingly difficult for goalkeepers to deal with.
If the keeper comes out and the opponent stands in front of him, he will award a free kick. terrible? perhaps. But everyone is tired of this mess, and if fixing it requires referee bias against teams defending corners, that’s fine.
Let’s think about it this way. Let’s take a look at the remaining Champions League matches and the World Cup. There will be no shenanigans like this in the six-yard box because the referees won’t put up with it. And the defending team is never penalized.
sam mead
I’m all for gaining a competitive advantage. Gamesmanship affects all professional sports, not just soccer. But the reason it’s so common is because referees lack the courage to make big calls.
We’ve seen them try to push forward with initiatives before, but they don’t last more than a few weeks after getting bad press. The line that seems to get thrown around all the time is, “If I give you a penalty, I give you 10 points every game.” Okay, that’s fine. Penalties are as big a deterrent as we have in the game.
Referees need to start policing corners better. Yes, it’s a physical game, but you can’t prevent the goalkeeper from getting close to the ball. It’s simple. The attacker cannot retain the shirt without penalty and somehow use the opponent as a boost into the air.
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