Right, to the near post!” barks Zidane, and Kroos, James and Modric do their very best to oblige, sending ball after ball in from the corner to the exact point in space that the Frenchman is looking for. The exact space where his killers come flying in to finish the job off. Gareth Bale is the deadliest, as we have seen in the games against Deportivo and Sporting, when the Welshman managed to get on the end of incoming corners and head the ball home.
Since Zidane took the helm, ‘Los Blancos’ have scored twice from corners, but if Pepe and James had not fluffed it at the Benito Villamarín, it could be three or four. Unmarked and unruffled, they both sent the ball wide or into the grateful arms of Adán. They managed to block out the right defenders and find space, but then made a mess of the killer strike. The new Real manager doesn’t want to see that happen again.
It was Rafa Benítez that insisted on the need to improve their effectiveness in dead-ball play, and Zidane has taken up the cause. Their efforts have paid off: Real Madrid, together with Athletic, have scored more goals than anybody else from corners. Both teams have so far notched up seven strikes apiece – two more than Eibar and Rayo and three more than other teams who have earned themselves a great reputation for taking full advantage of all corners that come their way, such as Cholo Simeone’s Atlético.
Moreover, Real Madrid are at present the dead-ball kings, after Bale claimed a strike at the Mestalla when he connected with a free kick taken by Kroos out on the wing. The Welshman and German form a deadly pair in this kind of play. Together, they have found the back of the net on three occasions.
Bron: Marca
