How KPL clubs are scoring more goals from inswinging corner kicks than outswinging ones

Gor Mahia, coached by Ghanaian Charles Akonnor, have scored the most goals from corners, five, representing almost 25 per cent of the club’s 19 goals this season.

AFC Leopards, KCB, Mara Sugar, and Murang’a Seal come second in goals scored from corner kicks, at three apiece this season.

Gor Mahia, Bidco United, Kenya Police, Mara Sugar, and Tusker are the only teams yet to concede from a corner this season.

At the other end, APS Bomet, Kakamega Homeboyz, and Ulinzi Stars are the league’s punching bags from corners, having let in the most, at four goals each.

Interestingly, Bomet and Homeboyz are also two of the five teams yet to score from a corner this season. The others are Bidco United, Kariobangi Sharks, and Mathare United.

The figures conceal fascinating aspects of the methods FKF Premier League clubs employ to score from corners, triggering the age-old debate on the relative efficiency of inswinging corners against outswingers.

A data analyst with one of the top clubs in the league, who did not want to be identified, told Nation Sport why his team prefers inswinging corners to outswinging ones.

He revealed the club prefers inswinging corners to put pressure on goalkeepers, many of whom have been criticised for conceding cheap goals in the league, thus making them “fearful and hesitant”.

“As English Premier League club Arsenal has proven, inswinging corners create chaos in the box and increase pressure on the goalkeeper. Inswinging corners allow us to crowd the goalkeeper, hence limiting his ability to claim the ball. As some players block the goalkeeper, others run around to cause distractions in the box. These movements create chaos in the box, which we capitalise on to score,” he said.

Indeed, the Gunners’ notoriety for scoring from corners through means described as “anti-football” and “use of dark arts” has been evident this season.

“We settled on inswinging corners after we noticed that most Kenyan goalkeepers are low on confidence when it comes to leaving their line to claim a ball from a corner kick. With the ball swinging towards them and players blocking them, they become more hesitant to act, and that increases the chances of them conceding. As a team, we also struggle to defend inswinging corners, but we are consistently working on how to defend them,” the analyst said, before adding that their team recently had a very easy time defending against a Premier League team that takes outswinging corners.

“They did not threaten us at all,” he said.

A review of videos of 18 of the 28 FKF Premier League goals scored from corners this season shows 11 featured goals scored from inswinging corners, representing 61.11 per cent of the sample. Six goals (33.33 per cent) resulted from outswinging corners, while a short corner yielded one goal (5.56 per cent).

Also, seven of the 11 inswinging corners resulted in goals scored from goalmouth melees.

The reviewed videos also tell an interesting story about Gor Mahia – who seem to like switching from inswinging to outswinging and vice versa. They have scored three goals from inswinging corners, one from an outswinging corner, and one from a short corner.

Gor Mahia are seemingly the most cunning corner kick takers in the league if the behaviour of Enoch Morrison, the club’s Ghanaian midfielder, at the corner flag is anything to go by. Morrison is notorious for “land-grabbing” -- the act of placing the ball outside the corner arc, particularly at ends of pitch that are not guarded by the assistant referee.

Akonnor has acknowledged the importance of set-pieces and how they win matches, particularly the evenly fought ones.

After Gor Mahia’s 1-0 win over Kakamega Homeboyz – during which Alpha Onyango scored after Homeboyz failed to deal with an outswinger – Akonnor revealed why his club occasionally takes outswinging corners.

“We change a lot of things. Outswinging corners keep the ball in the air for long and that means that our attackers should not go too early. It also allows them to deceive defenders with their movements,” Akonnor said.

Salim Ali, the technical director of Nairobi United, who have exhibited a strong preference for outswinging corners, said their approach to the set piece is guided by “tactics and the kickers we have on the pitch”.

A study done by Opta revealed that inswinging corners lead to more goals because resultant shots are taken much closer to the box. Goals scored in the FKF Premier League resulting from melees caused by inswinging corners attest to this; attackers were in the six-yard box where they shot towards goal.

On the other hand, outswinging corners lead to the creation of more chances and help the attacking team keep possession of the ball. Alpha Onyango’s goal for Gor Mahia against Homeboyz supports this claim. After Homeboyz cleared an outswinging corner taken by Morrison, Gor Mahia recovered possession and set up Onyango to rifle a grass cutter to the bottom left corner. Onyango was lurking outside the box.

Ultimately, in the FKF Premier League, one corner is as chaotic as the next one

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