Set-piece goals now account for 32% of all goals scored in the Premier League — the highest proportion in the competition’s history. The era of the set-piece coach has arrived, and the data shows why clubs are investing millions in dead-ball specialists.
The sophistication of modern set-piece routines has transformed what was once a chaotic lottery into a precision science. Decoy runners, screen blockers, near-post flickers — every element is choreographed with the attention to detail of a military operation.