{"id":536114,"date":"2025-10-29T20:08:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/536114\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T20:08:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:08:23","slug":"how-fpl-managers-can-profit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/536114\/","title":{"rendered":"How FPL managers can profit"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our latest community article, Bordeaux FC looks at the rise of set pieces \u2013 and how Fantasy managers can benefit from this tactical trend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reincarnation of dead balls<\/strong><\/p>\n

Set pieces are the talk of the Premier League town \u2013 and the team atop of the pile is, fittingly, the master of the art. Over 55% of Arsenal\u2019s goals this season have come from these situations. Perhaps more remarkably, they are joint-fourth-bottom for goals from open play. The \u2018dead ball\u2019 is alive and well.<\/p>\n

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Above: Premier League teams sorted by fewest goals from open play (OP), with their set-piece goals (SP) for comparison<\/p>\n

The tactical evolution of football is a fascinating aspect of the game. Five years ago, the Premier League vogue was the gegenpress of Liverpool, and Manchester City\u2019s iteration of tiki taka. At that time, you would have been going out on a limb to predict that 2025\/26 would be the season of the long throw. But the path of change in football isn\u2019t linear. Often, \u2018new\u2019 tactical innovations are a reimagination of ideas past. After all, there is nothing new under the sun\u2026<\/p>\n

Inspiration from across the Atlantic<\/strong><\/p>\n

The intensity of competition to stay in the Premier League is so fierce that teams, with their armies of analysts, are always looking for ways to gain an advantage. Teams like Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford took inspiration from baseball\u2019s vaunted \u2018Moneyball\u2019 approach and have transitioned from clubs that were more familiar in League One company to established and lauded Premier League outfits.<\/p>\n

The Premier League\u2019s most recent trend takes further inspiration from across the Atlantic, but it\u2019s more NFL than MLB. \u00a0There has been much discussion about the increasing prominence of \u2018Special Teams\u2019 in American Football, driven by an analytical recognition of its importance in determining field position.<\/p>\n

After Aston Villa\u2019s victory over Manchester City, Matty Cash<\/strong> (\u00a34.6m) referenced the \u201cspecial corners\u201d<\/a> that the team\u2019s set-piece coach has up his sleeve. Set-piece coaches are now a mainstay of every PL team (as are special teams coaches in the NFL), in a way that there weren\u2019t 20 years ago. Their importance has been elevated to the extent that Brentford, who have led the way in this trend, even appointed their set-piece coach, Keith Andrews, to succeed Thomas Frank. And it\u2019s not just coaching appointments that are being influenced by this trend. In signing Michael Kayode<\/strong> (\u00a34.5m), reports suggest a key factor in Brentford\u2019s scouting was his long throw (although his all-around play has also been excellent this season).<\/p>\n

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Above: Where Michael Kayode has created his chances from in 2025\/26<\/p>\n

From free-kicks, corners and long throws, there is a controlled opportunity to set players in motion and deliver a planned and practised routine from the playbook. Perhaps the most obvious comparison to American football is the increased importance of blockers, whose intention isn\u2019t to head the ball (or receive a pass), but simply to create a better opportunity for the intended target to do so.<\/p>\n

The focus on set pieces is best illustrated this season by the long throw. Across the first eight Gameweeks, there were 113 shots from throw-in situations, compared to nine in 2020\/21. This is pragmatism over philosophy. Neil Warnock or Tony Pulis aren\u2019t being lined up to succeed Pep Guardiola or Enzo Maresca \u2013\u00a0 but the data suggests that it\u2019s a worthwhile endeavour. Most spectators would rather see a goal scored by a flowing move than a six-yard box scramble, but football values them equally. Until more teams figure out how to defend these set pieces more effectively, detractors are shouting at clouds.<\/p>\n

Adapting our Fantasy teams<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whatever your views about set pieces, the latest tactical trend does present opportunities for Fantasy managers. Most obviously, we want the players who are targets, and those who deliver them.<\/p>\n

For long throws, this is tricky. While some teams utilise a specialist from both sides, most of the time, the productivity of a long throw stems from the chaotic pinball of second and third balls, which creates a greater degree of randomness. Some teams have consistently targeted players for a near-post flick on (Nathan Collins <\/strong>(\u00a34.9m), Gabriel Magalhaes<\/strong> (\u00a36.5m), Dan Burn<\/strong> (\u00a35.1m)); perhaps these players are best placed to profit from an assist. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Above: The leading players for chances from throw-ins in 2025\/26<\/p>\n

Despite the increased attention on long throws, corners and free-kicks around the box remain the most profitable set pieces. This season, many teams are preferring in-swinging deliveries from corners, which makes targeting takers more tricky as duties are split. With the exception of Declan Rice<\/strong> (\u00a36.7m) and Bukayo Saka<\/strong> (\u00a310.0m), who benefit from Arsenal\u2019s high conversion rate, set-piece delivery is an added bonus for the likes of Cody Gakpo<\/strong> (\u00a37.6m), Bryan Mbeumo<\/strong> (\u00a38.2m) or Mikkel Damsgaard<\/strong> (\u00a35.8m) \u2013 but probably not sufficient cause to buy a player.<\/p>\n

However, one group of players stand out, and as Fantasy managers, we benefit from a helpful correlation. It is a simple one, too. The best players at attacking these set pieces \u2013 \u2018the targets\u2019 \u2013 are centre-backs who often share two qualities: they are underpriced and they are defensive contribution (DefCon) magnets. Players who are good at attacking the ball are, largely, good at it in both penalty boxes. This means that owners of Gabriel Magalhaes, Joe Rodon <\/strong>(\u00a34.1m), Omar Alderete <\/strong>(\u00a34.1m) and Marc Guehi<\/strong> (\u00a34.9m) have profited not only from a regular two points for defensive contributions, but goal and assist potential.<\/p>\n

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Above: The leading players for headed set-piece attempts in 2025\/26<\/p>\n

Expect the likes of Collins, James Tarkowski <\/strong>(\u00a35.5m), Joachim Andersen<\/strong> (\u00a34.5m) and Burn to join them soon. If you can bring together a goal, a clean sheet and DefCons, you\u2019re looking at a 17-point haul. We\u2019d be over the moon about these returns from a striker costing upwards of \u00a310m, let alone a defender who is certain to be less than \u00a36.5m \u2013 and could be as cheap as almost anyone in the game.<\/p>\n

Like all Fantasy Football decisions, there is an element of luck involved in being on the right defender at the right time (congratulations to Micky van de Ven<\/strong> (\u00a34.7m) owners this week). There are teams whose inability to defend set pieces you can target (e.g., West Ham), and as ever, you can put your team in the right position to be lucky.<\/p>\n

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