Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know Premier League stories. In the opening edition of the season: 🔺 Man Utd's woes defending corners🔺 Ampadu's long throws getting longer🔺 A player to watch this weekend Michael Carrick bristled at the suggestion that Manchester United's defeat to Hull was down to a lack of passion and made the point that both goals came from set-pieces. It wasn't the first time, though, that defending dead balls has been a problem.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Hull's first goal, a rebound buried at close range by Semi Ajayi, was the 12th Manchester United have conceded from a corner since the start of last season. It is the joint-highest total of any current Premier League side in that timeframe along with Leeds. Ajayi's opener was of course compounded by Nobel Mendy scoring Hull's second from a free-kick and followed corner goals conceded by Manchester United against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Brentford and Nottingham Forest in the final two months of last season.
Unlike against Hull, those goals last season didn't matter. Manchester United ended up winning all four games on the way to their third-placed Premier League finish. But watching the clips back, it is striking just how easy they made it for their opponents.
Like Ajayi, who was able to find space as Harry Maguire inexplicably held his own team-mate Noussair Mazraoui, all three of Maxence Lacroix, Ross Barkley and Morato were unchallenged when scoring their goals for Palace, Aston Villa and Forest respectively. This frailty when defending corners, and set-pieces generally, was noted by Hull's head coach Sergej Jakirovic, who spoke about making plans to exploit the weakness with the help of his assistant and video analyst in his press conference after the game. Carrick can, in his defence, point to evidence of overall defensive improvement since his appointment in January.
Manchester United had conceded 31 goals in 21 Premier League games before his arrival last season and have only conceded 20 in 18 since. The fact they have the third-highest percentage of goals conceded from set-pieces in the Premier League since his first game in charge, though, underlines the extent of the issue. It should be noted that, on the flip side, Manchester United enjoyed considerable success from attacking set-pieces last term.
Their total of 26 set-piece goals scored put them second only to champions Arsenal among Premier League sides. But until they can eliminate their issues in their own box, when the corners and free-kicks are flying in, they risk a repeat of their implosion against Hull. Ipswich, visitors to Old Trafford on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, will aim to be the next opponent to profit.
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