Dead-ball situations are shaping up to be as pivotal as ever in the new Premier League campaign, following a season in which set-pieces played a decisive role for several clubs. Arsenal earned the label of 'set-piece kings' during their run to a first league title in 22 years, while Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes rewrote the Premier League assist record largely thanks to his mastery of dead-ball deliveries.
The growing emphasis on this area of the game was further underlined by Dominik Szoboszlai's spectacular free-kick for Liverpool against Arsenal, which featured on the shortlist for Goal of the Season. Clubs have also been investing in specialist coaching to sharpen their edge from restarts — Chelsea moved to trigger the release clause of Austin McPhee from Aston Villa this summer, a clear signal of how seriously set-pieces are now being treated at the elite level.
With the new season approaching, attention turns to who will be entrusted with penalties, free kicks and corners at each of the 20 top-flight clubs.
At Manchester United, Fernandes remains the obvious first choice from the penalty spot, with Bryan Mbeumo as back-up. Arsenal, by contrast, have an embarrassment of riches, with Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, new arrival Bruno Guimaraes, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all capable of stepping up.
Liverpool face a notable change following Mohamed Salah's departure, leaving Alexander Isak and Szoboszlai as the leading candidates to take over penalty duties. At Manchester City, Erling Haaland continues to be one of the most trusted penalty takers in the division, though Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush provide options. Chelsea's Joao Pedro may need to negotiate with Cole Palmer for a share of penalties if he is to challenge for the golden boot, while Enzo Fernandez remains a key contributor from both the penalty spot and free kicks.
Elsewhere, Brentford's Igor Thiago impressed with his composure from twelve yards last season and is expected to retain penalty responsibilities. Newly promoted Tottenham could see £100million signing Sandro Tonali handed penalty duties alongside Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. Jean-Philippe Mateta looks set to continue as Crystal Palace's main taker, while at Fulham, Gonzalo Garcia may inherit the role from the departed Raul Jimenez, having already taken on his shirt number.
When it comes to free kicks and corners, the traditional heavyweights again feature prominently. Arsenal can call upon Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Christos Tzolis for free kicks, with Rice, Saka, Guimaraes, Odegaard and Tzolis also sharing corner duties. At Chelsea, Reece James and Fernandez are the primary dead-ball specialists, while Manchester City's Chelsea-bound trickery is replaced by Maxi Cherki and Phil Foden sharing responsibilities.
Manchester United will continue to rely heavily on Fernandes, supported by Youri Tielemans, for both free kicks and corners. At Liverpool, Szoboszlai and new signing Florian Wirtz are expected to be heavily involved in set-piece delivery, alongside Cody Gakpo.
Across the rest of the division, several lesser-known names are set to take on greater responsibility, including Ryan Giles at Hull, Jack Rudoni at Coventry, and Christos Tzolis at Arsenal, reflecting how widely spread set-piece expertise has become throughout the league.
With fine margins increasingly decided by moments from dead-ball situations, the identity of these takers could once again prove crucial as the race for points begins.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.