According to a report by kicker, while Bayern Munich may lead the league in points, goals, goals conceded, and goal difference, they fall short in one key area — corners. With almost every single set piece at the club taken by one man, questions are being asked about Joshua Kimmich and his role in the current dead ball hierarchy.
“I’m curious to see how long Joshua Kimmich will be allowed to shoot the corners from both sides,” said Mario Basler, himself known for being a set piece specialist. The ex-Bayern star lamented the state of his former team’s corners, saying that they were delivered too high and without enough speed.
“That makes it more difficult for header specialists, yet the balls are much better these days than they were when we were playing,” said the 54-year-old.
Bayern Munich currently averages around 30.7 corner kicks per goal this season, which is frankly abysmal for a top team. While actual statistics regarding corners is hard to find, this analysis about the Premier League shows that a team like Fulham have scored 10 goals from 104 corners, at a rate of around 10.4 corners per goal. The difference to Bayern Munich is stark.
While much has been made of Bayern’s lack of height in attack this season, the club still plays with plenty of relatively tall players. Guys like Choupo-Moting, Thomas Muller, Matthijs de Ligt, Dayot Upamecano, Leon Goretzka, and Benjamin Pavard can all be threats on set pieces if given the chances. However, the delivery and organization of these set pieces are lacking, which is leaving a ton of performance on the table.
Thomas Tuchel seeks to remedy this with the acquisition of assistant coach Anthony Barry from Chelsea FC. Barry, a set piece specialist, is tasked with fixing the Bavarians’ corner conversion rate. He’s only been in the job for two weeks now, but fans hope that he will have a lasting (positive) impact on the club’s set pieces.