A tactical deep dive into the set piece dynamics ahead of Manchester United vs West Ham.
Introduction
Every matchday, I check my set piece app to look for tactical edges and this week, one matchup stands out.
Manchester United, fresh off an exciting away win at Crystal Palace, host a struggling West Ham side missing the suspended Lucas Paquetá. While United are the favorites, these are the kinds of games where set pieces can make the difference and the data suggests they might just hold the key.
West Ham’s Shocking Numbers
West Ham have beenone of the worst teams in the league at defending set pieces, conceding the most goals, the most shots, and the second-most xG (after Burnley).
Digging deeper, the real issue lies withcorners: West Ham have conceded9 goals from corners alone, accounting for a massive70% of all their set piece goals conceded this season.
While it’s true thatthree of those came in one match against Chelsea, the pattern holds, they’re consistently vulnerable in this phase of play. The volume and repeatability of these lapses are what make the numbers genuinely concerning.
Manchester United’s Set Piece Improvements
Manchester United rank2nd in set piece goals scored, a vast improvement to where they were the seasons before which shows the work done by Amorim who also admitted to learn from all Premier League managers.
Man Utd are especially strong fromcorners, sittingjoint-3rd in goals andjoint-4th in shots from corners while being 6th on xG.
🧠 Patterns of Play: Where Corners Could Be Won
Patterns of Vulnerability: Where West Ham Break Down
West Ham’s set piece issues aren’t just volume-based, they follow aclear and exploitable pattern.
By examining theircorner concession heatmaps, a few trends emerge.
🧭From the left (attacking team’s left / West Ham’s right),threat consistently builds at the far post and in central zones. There’s also some spillover threat from second balls and rebounds in the central corridor, suggesting trouble clearing initial danger.
🧭From the right, the danger is moreevenly spread across the six-yard box, with xG hotspots at thefar,near, andcentral zones. That level of exposure points tosystemic marking breakdowns, not just individual lapses.
⬇️Let’s go deeper and break it down using the corner context data.
🟥 Far-Post Weakness
On both sides, there’s consistentxG buildup at the far post.
The data showsrepeat shots and goals from this area, and delivery patterns confirm teams target it throughinswingers and straight balls.
🟥 Central Zone Exposure
Thecentral zones of the six-yard box also see heavy action.
West Ham struggle to clear first contacts here, leading tohigh xG per shot and dangerous second phases.
🟥 Near Post Lapses (Especially Right Side)
From their right side (opposition’s left), West Ham arefrequently caught at the near post.
Multiple entries show first shots arriving from this zone, indicatingmarking miscommunication or space left unprotected.
With United among the league’s best on corners, this is exactly the type of edge they could exploit, especially if the game stalls or West Ham sit deep.
How United’s Corner Routines Can Punish West Ham
Manchester United are one of the league’s most effective sides from corners and their patterns match updangerously well against West Ham’s defensive weaknesses.
From the right side, United generate threat from thenear post and central zones, both of which happen to align with where West Ham are vulnerable.
Repeated entries and a goal marker suggestset routines are successfully targeting these areas.
On the left, United avoid the near post and instead hit thefar post and central zones, showing a clear tactical preference.
This could be dangerous for West Ham, who have struggled specifically in those same zones.
Delivery patterns confirm the trends seen in the heatmaps:
Bruno andMount focus oncentral and far zones from the left.
Mbeumo, delivering from the right, also targetscentral & near zones.
United’sfirst-contact success is solid, andxG per shot is well above league average — a sign that when they connect, it’s dangerous.
Repeat patterns and shot zones show that:
de Ligt is a clear far-post threat from Bruno’s left-sided deliveries (remember his Spurs goal).
Maguire consistently receives from the right and aims central.
Theout-of-box bands also show signs of potential, either for rebounds or return corners.
🔑 Key Takeaways: Where United Can Hurt West Ham
United consistently generate xG from thecentral and far-post zones, both areas where West Ham are weakest.
Theleft-side delivery team (Bruno + Mount) aims far/central and avoids the near post, aligning with West Ham’s specific lapses.
From theright, deliveries to thenear and central zones pose a dual threat.
De Ligt andMaguire are key aerial targets; both are well-suited to exploit West Ham’s poor first-contact clearance.
The“out-of-box” shot zones hint at danger from recycled corners or second phases.
📉 Manchester United Are Not Safe Either
While United boast strong attacking set pieces, there’s a defensive vulnerability, one West Ham, despite missing creative spark (no Paquetá), might still exploit.
They’ve conceded4 goals from corners, and though there’s been slight improvement in recent weeks, the data still raises red flags
From the opponent’s left (United’s right side defensively), central and far post zones are high-risk.
Heatmap shows repeated shot volume and xG buildup in those areas, especially when United fail to clear first contact.
From the right side (opponent attacking United’s left), the danger is condensed centrally, but both far and near post areas also show activity.
This may point to gaps in near-post marking or hesitation in collapsing centrally.
Across both sides, the zone around the penalty spot is a clear weak point.
This hints at second ball issues — United struggle to clear or win the knockdown cleanly.
Corner delivery patterns confirm this: inswingers from the left and mixed zones from the right.
Opponents tend to target the far post and central zones, especially from left-footed deliveries on the right.
Repeat links reinforce the story: the left side sees far post and central shots, the right more mixed between near and central.
This suggests recurring structures that teams have figured out and looked to replicate.
📌 Summary: How West Ham Could Take Advantage
West Ham’s corner issues aside, United themselves have conceded32 shots and 4 goals from corners.
Bothcentral and far-post zones are common danger areas for United defensively.
Thepenalty spot area, second balls and rebounds, remains vulnerable.
Opponents useinswingers from the left, especially to the central and far zones.
West Ham should look totarget central zones and aim for second contact chaos, even without Paquetá.
🧩 Conclusion: Small Margins, Big Edges
This clash might look straightforward on paper, a decent side hosting a struggling opponent, but in matches like these,set pieces often become the great equalizer.
📊 The data tells us this:
West Ham are leaking goals from corners, especially in repeatable patterns across far and central zones.
Manchester United’s corner routines are built to exploit exactly those weak points, with aerial threats like de Ligt and Maguire thriving on targeted deliveries.
But United themselvesaren’t immune, with key vulnerabilities from set pieces, particularly around thepenalty spot and far post on both sides.
🎯 Tactical Summary:
If United need a breakthrough, expect it to come from a dead-ball situation, especially if West Ham sit deep.
If West Ham are to cause problems, it won’t come much from open-play control but likely from a well-delivered set piece and second-phase scrambles.
👉 This match could very well bedecided by what happens when the ball stops moving.
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