Having seen QPRs first free kick of their match today sail at least 15 yards over the bar, it occurred to me that despite the huge leaps forward the game has made over the decades, the art of free kick taking has gone nowhere relatively, particularly given the advantages modern footballers have over their predecessors in this area, and the minute detail now paid to almost every aspect of pro football to get even small percentages of improvement.
Of course we shouldn't expect a goal every time a free kick is taken, but the players given the responsibility at this level, with their refined and specialist training, video analysis of technique, balls that are easier to control, boots that aid friction, flatter pitches, and even more conditioned agile legs, should be able to hit the target with very high regularity, and as a result score more goals.
Using golf as an example, you naturally expect a top pro to chip the ball within close proximity of the hole from just off the green with amazing regularity. This happens because they've great technique, use top equipment, play on the best prepared courses/ground & practice this vital skill over & over again to refine the art, & get the necessary muscle memory & touch. It actually amazes us if they dont get up and down in 2 from that position.
If we look at the type of pro player seen as a sand specialist, like a free kick specialist, perhaps a Garcia or Seve if you're older, then we're amazed if they dont get the ball relatively close from a standard bunker shot, so why is it that free kick specialists don't hit the target routinely, or at the very least regularly get within a few feet of their target. It should surprise us if the ball sails high and wide instead of just make us swear at the TV, in the same way we are shocked when a top bunker player's standard sand shot doesn't make it out of the bunker, or get within a dozen feet, often closer.
After all standard free kicks 5 yards or so outside the box don't have too many variables, which suddenly make things much harder than normal, certainly not more than a normal bunker shot. Both have a relatively standard obstacle to navigate, the distances and trajectory between different free kicks and the goal aren't hugely different, the lie of the football will be fairly standard, and even the weather wont significantly impact the vast majority of free kicks from game to game. Of course the keeper can save shots, but I'm referring more to hitting the target.
IMO this area of the game could be improved greatly, especially since we always hear about the importance of set pieces in the modern football, especially to the smaller sides finding it increasingly hard to compete. The fact a small team might be playing against even the best side on the planet wont matter one jot to whether their free kick taker can hit the target.
Anyway, what do you guys think? Is the standard of free kicks in the pro game close to as good as you think can be expected, or do you think there's a lot of room for improvement, and more focus should be given to reaping the potential benefits?
Even at a massive club like United we know too well how valuable it can be if you have a dedicated & talented free kick specialist like Beckham at your club, and if he misses by far it really does shock you. Surely every pro club should have one or two players capable of hitting the target/woodwork 90% of the time. The exceptions should be the really special players like Beckham & Ronaldo that are able to convert their free kicks to goals.
Should The Standard of Free Kicks Improve?
posted on 30/4/12
Madrid get a silly amount of free kicks and he takes all of them, and shoots from ridiculous ranges. He has a very strange free kick technique so it's difficult for him to score or hit the target.
I wouldn't call him a specialist as for the amount he takes, he scores very few. Alonso is a better free kick taker in my opinion. As are Messi, Xavi and Villa (he was seen as a specialist at Valencia).
Juninho, now there's a free kick specialist.
posted on 30/4/12
Darren Ive found out how many free kicks and goals Ronaldo has scored this year. 4 goals from 31 free kicks up to 2 weeks ago, and this is his worst season yet. However, he's still scored 13% of the free kicks he's taken which I think is pretty good by todays poor standards even if he doesnt hit the target regularly.
These stats also fit in with last years figures.
I totally agree his free kick style is unique, and doesnt aid regularly hitting the target, especially as he focusses on power and ball variation in the air, but it does mean when he does hit the target he often scores and that's why he uses that technique.
posted on 30/4/12
That's an average return. Ronaldo's a fantastic player, but his free kicks are hugely overrated. Due to the fact he's using power rather than accuracy, I feel it's more relying on luck that it will go in or hit the target, because effectively, his free kicks are unnacurate, as he rarely scores or hits the target.
posted on 30/4/12
Darren he doesnt 'rarely' score from free kicks, he's scores from around 15% of his free kicks, that's a fact.
He also scored more free kicks than anyone in the European leagues last year, actually a european free kick record, which he's equalled this year.
Yes he gets the opportunity to take a lot more than someone at a smaller club, but you say he took 40 before scoring one this season, but up to two weeks ago he had scored 4 from 31 all season, so that's not true.
I 100% agree that his free kicks vary wildly in their accuracy due to the technique he uses, and this is the point of my article as I think this should be improved drastically across most free kick takers, but to suggest he isnt a top scorer from free kicks or one of the best at scoring isnt backed up in fact.
Madrid and United wouldnt make him their no.1 free kick taker if there were better free kick takers on the pitch who were more likely to score such as Rooney and Alonso that you say both are better. Scoring is too important to put the lesser candidate in charge.
Anyway dont think we are getting anywhere now
Let's focus on tonight and hope Rooney scores a free kick winner
posted on 30/4/12
My friend is a Real Madrid fan and when we saw his first free kick go in this season they said it was off his 38th free kick.
Watching United and Real Madrid for the past 8 years I can see that, although he may score quite a lot, he is not a great free kick taker. You underestimate his ego, and that he makes sure he takes them all.
Accuracy is important in free kick taking, Ronaldo's free kicks are not accurate, so he's not a great free kick taker in my opinion. Stats can be twisted. He's scored a lot, but of I use Walcott's assists as an example to say he's a great crosser, most would disagree.
Anyway, I do think it's the fact people rely too much on power nowadays than finesse, the greats can combine both, but power relies more on chance than skill, in my opinion. You are hoping it goes on target knowing the power will make it hard to save. But if you try to curl it in, you have much more control over the ball.
posted on 30/4/12
My friend is a Real Madrid fan and when we saw his first free kick go in this season they said it was off his 38th free kick.
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Well maybe he wasn't talking literally or exaggerating as the stats show it's not true and he's scored 4 from 31 free kicks (until 2 weeks ago).
posted on 30/4/12
Where did you get your stats from? Commentary usually have their stats correct.
Regardless, I don't need stats to see he's no great at free kicks. If he was consistently hitting the target or going close, then, considering how many he scores, I'd agree he is. The fact remains that he majority of his free kicks ht he wall or end up in row z. When they do go in they're great, but they're so innacurate most of the time.
Ask any United fan who our free kick specialist was when Ronaldo was here and they'll tell you it was Owen Hargreaves.
posted on 30/4/12
Im a season ticket holder at United at it definitely was Ronaldo. Hargreaves might have taken free kicks when he originally joined but he barely played during the period when Ronaldo wasn't a new kid.
To be fair I think you're missing the pt. Im saying players should be hitting the target more often, BUT in Ronaldos case his very technique is based on goals rather than ensuring accuracy, so he should be judged on goals not the % he hits the target, and he scores goals.
Anyway we arent going to agree. You think he's not a very good free kick taker and I think he is.
posted on 30/4/12
I was saying that Hargreaves was the specialist, as he was the better free kick taker, I know Ronaldo took them all though. Like I said, probably more to do with him being the star playing than the better free kick taker.
We'll have to agree to disagree. I have just never thought players that solely rely on the power of their free kicks, rather than accuracy, are good free kick takers. Roberto Carlos is a player whose free kicks were overrated - he, as does Ronaldo, have unpredictable movement of the ball when they strike it, this means they're not actually in control of the ball and it's more to do with chance that they go in (because they cannot predict the flight of the ball) It's this emphasis on power that I believe is the reason for the lack of decent free kick takers.
posted on 30/4/12
I def agree Carlos was terrible. He scored that one free kick v England in his entire career I think