How Midtjylland became hotbed for set-piece experts

Nearly every staff member will make a few visits to the one breakout area at FC Midtjylland’s training complex on a daily basis given that the Danes are among Europe’s most active coffee drinkers.

They will not only get their caffeine fix while they are there, but it will also serve as a reminder of the club’s most crucial table, which is directly above the machine that serves espresso after it is poured.

However, the graph below shows Midtjylland’s dead ball goal difference rather than the Superliga standings (which they have topped four times since 2015).

In the Europa League, they take on Nottingham Forest in England on Thursday, where corners and throw-ins are back in style.

Set-pieces are popular in the Premier League, with Nicolas Jover and Austin MacPhee of Aston Villa becoming instantly recognisable touchline prowlers whenever their team needs to restart.

Chelsea paid £750,000 to Brentford for set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva, who had left 5.9 million impressions from Fabrizio Romano’s three X posts while they were on the move in the summer of 2024.

Michele Aragona, who recently joined Ipswich from Midtjylland as a set-piece analyst, recalls anticipating the market’s reaction.

Every location can make millions of pounds worth of difference, according to Aragona, who said the Premier League. “Chelsea really understood that every location can make millions of pounds worth of difference,” Aragona said.

Midtjylland, however, were ten years more than the norm. Since Matthew Benham purchased a majority stake in 2014, set pieces have been a big part of the club’s strategy.

There is a good chance that a set-piece specialist has left Midtjylland’s pseudo-academy before taking on the role they are currently playing. However, if you have heard of one, it is now being replicated across Europe.

It is admired that their alumni are well-known and widely distributed.

“We put so much effort into it that I believe it’s only natural that some talented people leave,” said Midtjylland’s football director Jacob Larsen.

First, there are the coaches. MacPhee is a Villa player in the Premier League, while Martin Mark, who was previously at Newcastle, has joined in the same capacity this summer. Prior to that, Jones also formally spent some time at Midtjylland.

Under Julian Nagelsmann, Mads Buttgereit is Germany’s set-piece coach, while Lars Knudsen is currently in charge of Denmark’s Under-21 side. In 2022-2023, he spent a season coaching set-pieces at Leicester City.

The analysts are then there. Marc Orti Esteban was with Brentford up until February, while Carl Safont is with Manchester City’s first team. He is currently undergoing New England Revolution. This summer, Jose Rodriguez Calvo left Villa for Real Sociedad.

According to Aragona, the roles of a set-piece coach and set-piece analyst are frequently confused. Although where the line is drawn will vary from club to club, they are distinct and yet inextricably linked.

He said, “We work in a symbiotic way.” However, the coach is responsible for holding the meetings and training sessions on grass. Then, I’ll go to individual players to check whether everything is right or take care of the shadows of the opposition.

I’ll show them the clips, making sure everything is as accurate as possible. However, other analysts might claim that they remain in the office.

In Herning, a city in west Denmark with a population of 55, 000, Midtjylland plays football there and trains in Ikast, a town with about 20 000 people.

They are far from any bright lights and must have been “innovative,” according to Larsen. He told BBC Sport, “Talent development is the beginning, but there is ambition as well.” Additionally, we aim to win every year in Denmark.

Set pieces quickly grew to be Midtjylland’s specialty.

When I played, [set-pieces] were given the final ten minutes of the match’s training, according to Larsen. We tried two different variations, and that was it.

We now discuss how to make the players as engaged in set-pieces as they are with everything else in our training sessions and how to incorporate them.

However, Aragona claims that this is “a common misconception,” while the mind’s eye jumps to fancy-dan routines, with elaborate dummy runs, and extravagant movements.

People often assume that every game must have a different routine depending on the opponent’s weakness, but that’s not the case, he said. “Routines can win you games, but it has to be something you can replicate if you want to create something consistent and best over time.”

Club-wide, Midtjylland places a premium on set-pieces. Each age group has a coach whose responsibilities include set-pieces, and Run During is in charge of them at the youth level.

We examine each player and consider whether we can give him some unique advantages when it comes to set-pieces at the academy level. said Larsen.

We are a talent development club, but there are some specific scenarios. We want to have spoken with players and tried to give them the freedom to think on their own and formulate their own solutions and solutions during matches.

Naturally, the emphasis on defense and attack varies depending on the club.

Aragona described Midtjylland last season as having a balance of 90% attacking and 10% defending.

They lost to FC Copenhagen by a point in the 2024-25 title.

We literally never conceded chances, so we thought, “Why do we need to put a lot of emphasis on the defensive side if everything is going right?”

Set-pieces are frequently discussed in hiring discussions, according to Larsen. By Danish standards, Middtjylland spends a lot of money on players; the 36. 6 million euros they paid for players in 2023-2024 was a record.

Midtjylland, according to Larsen, plays an “individual form of football” in comparison to their Danish peers.

We use a lot of physical and psychological parameters. Other teams have more systems than other teams, and their approach is more team-based. Our family spirit brings us together, despite the fact that there is more individual focus here.

One of Midtjylland’s four pillars is that culture.

“From the outside, you see a very aggressive club that works very hard and advances the best,” added Larsen. However, you discover some very soft values when you enter.

Aragona eloquently praises the work-life balance achieved in Denmark, and they also have a youth soccer academy.

Everyone told me, “Your job is important, but your family is more important; if you need to do something with them, don’t come to work.” Perfect work-life balance is achieved. Everyone then heads home after having lunch together and a morning training session. When you call, their voicemail will be returned.

However, a ruthless streak is necessary for football success, and Mike Tullberg, who was appointed in late August following Thomas Thomasberg’s removal, will manage them at the City Ground on Thursday.

A 17-game unbeaten run that included a second-placed league finish and group stage qualification for the Europa League was the latter’s downfall.