Bundesliga
Which teams are the best at free-kicks and corners?
Matchday 25 saw the introduction of two new Bundesliga Match Facts, powered by AWS. Those are Set Piece Threat and Skills. The former details how good a team is compared to the rest of the division at dead balls. So, which clubs are the Bundesliga’s set-piece experts?
Over a quarter of goals are a result of a free-kick or a corner. Set Piece Threat compares teams with the league average, not just differentiating between goal or no goal, but also evaluating the quality of chances and shots. This Match Fact can, for example, be displayed on screen during live matches before a set piece to demonstrate how dangerous the attacking team are from such situations.
Watch: The new Match Facts explained
Union and Freiburg heads above the rest at corners
When it comes to corners, Union Berlin and Freiburg are the best in the Bundesliga with respective threat values of 50 and 46 per cent above the division average. Die Eisernen boast the second-highest xGoals value following delivery (6.86). They have resulted in six promising shots, which is the most in the league, but only managed four goals as a result.
Freiburg have the most goals in 2021/22 from corners with eight. The next most threating sides are Hoffenheim (35 per cent), Borussia Mönchengladbach (33) and Eintracht Frankfurt (27). Strugglers Arminia Bielefeld and Hertha Berlin (both -56) pose the least danger from corners.
Leverkusen the free-kick masters
We saw Bayer Leverkusen put away a free-kick in the UEFA Europa League during the week, and that’s no fluke. Die Werkself are the Bundesliga’s most threatening team at free-kicks, coming in at 91 per cent above the league average. They’ve scored six goals from such dead balls, despite an xG of just 2.75. The top three for threat level is completed by Freiburg (76 per cent) and league leaders Bayern Munich (75).
While Union are the masters of corners, they just can’t seem to get it right when the ball is stopped elsewhere on the pitch. They pose the lowest threat in the division from free-kicks at -66 per cent. Bielefeld are again down at the bottom here on -47.
Putting both free-kicks and corners together, Freiburg are undoubtedly the Bundesliga’s set-piece masters, helping to propel them to sixth place and only two points off the top four. Bielefeld, meanwhile, have the most room for improvement at dead balls. A step-up there in the final games of the season could help them move away from relegation.