Of late, I can’t help but think that we’re getting weaker and weaker in one area – set pieces. One of the hallmarks of the title winning seasons was our fantastic conversion ratio of the set pieces. Even defensively, we never allowed teams to make anything out of their set pieces. Of late, especially since April or so, I feel that our main weapon is becoming quite impotent.

Making the best out of set pieces requires a lot of planning, tactics, practice, technique and sometimes an element of surprise. Earlier, every corner or free kick we used to get would end up in something – a very good attack, offensive position or even a goal. We used to be very strong that teams were wary of allowing us corners or free kicks. I don’t have the figures but I know that we scored quite a lot from free kicks and corners, that they became a very important weapon of our armour. It used to be even a part of our tactics to earn corners with the kind of conversion rates and confidence. It used to be quite common to see that the Chelsea players settle for a corner in tight situations, instead of nutmegging or chipping.

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It was not just the free kicks and corners, we were good at throw-ins too. We even scored from a throw-in at Anfield during our 4-1 rout of Liverpool. The important component of our successful set pieces was a fit and in-form Lampard. Not only has he scored from free kicks but also he has set up beautifully for goals.

Why have we suddenly become toothless in set pieces? The irony is that we have a huge band of free kick/corner takers. Of late, there seems to be some kind of lethargy when it comes to set pieces. One thing is to make a not-so-good delivery and a corner turning into a goal kick with no second touch, is entirely different. When Lampard’s quality of delivery was dropping, in came Malouda with sharp, inswinging, to-the-targetman deliveries but it was so short-lived.

Is the average height of the Chelsea players reducing? Or is it because we have not played with the same eleven for a series of matches? In the first three seasons under Jose, despite the varied composition of the team, always about 7-9 players would be the core and always be there. That helped because the more they play together there was better understanding of things that happen in live match situations. No amount of training and practice would help as much as playing together in a league match. Right now, you could only count on Cech, Essien, Lampard and Drogba being there. Rest of the positions keep changing over and over again, mostly due to short and long injuries.

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But all of these can not be a reason for crossing the ball 10 yards beyond the far post. If we split the corners into good delivery and taking advantage of a good delivery, we can realise that what we lack is good deliveries. We see the corners being criminally wasted. If there were good deliveries, there are players like Drogba, Terry, Alex and Pizarro to make the most of it. I was at a loss for words, when I saw a Malouda corner swinging right behind the goal net, without bothering anyone on the pitch.

Is it possible that we can think of any other options for our set pieces? For long free kicks, can it be someone else than Lampard or Malouda? For short free kicks, can it be Drogba? For corners, can it be the pint-sized SWP? Or like me, you also think that, once in a while, we should make short passes from corners, instead of always crossing it to the far post.

Surely, this is one area that we need to improve on. Given the set of players we have now and given the fact that the transfer window is closed, what options can you think of, to make the best out of the set piece situations?