As soon as upon a time the lengthy throw was nearly solely the protect of Tony Pulis and his Stoke Metropolis group, however now it’s being utilized by just about each Premier League group – and it’s working.
Final season 20 objectives had been scored by means of throw-in routines. We’re solely 11 rounds into the 2025-26 season and already now we have had 12 objectives come about this manner.
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It is usually proven within the enhance within the common size of a throw. Two seasons in the past it was 16.5m, final season it was 16.7, and there was a leap on this marketing campaign to 18.6.
A protracted throw is outlined by knowledge analysts Opta as exceeding 20m, so the common size of a throw is creeping as much as that.
However who’re the best exponents of the lengthy throw? Are some grounds extra appropriate than others? And does Sunderland’s crafty tactic of transferring the promoting boards make a distinction?
Kayode’s long-throw prowess at Brentford
It in all probability helps that Brentford supervisor Keith Andrews was once the set-piece coach, however when you’ve got a weapon you may as effectively use it. And that’s undoubtedly the with Michael Kayode.
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Kayode joined the Bees in January with a rising status for his throws, having put in 23 at Fiorentina throughout the 2023-24 season and 24 within the first half of 2024-25.
After transferring to the Gtech Stadium, Kayode delivered 21 within the second half of the marketing campaign from solely six begins and 6 substitute appearances.
It has gone up markedly this season, with Kayode having hurled 54 lengthy throws into the penalty space in 11 begins, forward of Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele (46) and Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards (29).
Kayode is constant, with the longest common throw distance (33.2m). Subsequent is Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall with 30.6m from 16 throws.
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Burnley (Kyle Walker), Bournemouth (Antoine Semenyo), Leeds United (Ethan Ampadu) and Everton (Jake O’Brien and Vitalii Mykolenko) additionally use lengthy throws so much.
On the different finish of the dimensions, Chelsea and Manchester Metropolis do not need a participant who has taken multiple lengthy throw into the field, and Brighton and Liverpool don’t have any participant with greater than two.
Kayode’s longest throw – 38.5m – got here at Fulham however, whereas he’s their first alternative, there’s a team-mate who will get extra distance. Mathias Jensen achieved 45.4m at Nottingham Forest and 42.7m at Palace. Kevin Schade takes them too.
Throughout the 20 Premier League grounds this season, Brentford have thus far achieved the longest throw at 5 of them – they usually have solely performed at six.
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Brentford scored 5 objectives from throw-ins in 2024-25, and this season they’ve netted three: Fabio Carvalho v Chelsea, Dango Ouattara v Liverpool and Schade v Newcastle United.
Palace have additionally scored 3 times, Burnley twice, and Everton, Newcastle, Manchester United and Sunderland as soon as every.
Which grounds are best for lengthy throws?
Brentford may dominate the stats, however they don’t maintain the report for the longest throw. That belongs to Rodrigo Gomes of Wolves, who managed a distance of 46.1m towards Everton.
Regardless of this, Wolves have not likely used this weapon, with Gomes taking solely seven from the 4 video games he has performed and Molineux having the shortest common distance for lengthy throws into the ultimate third.
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Does the stadium make a distinction? The stats will likely be influenced by Brentford having performed at 5 of the grounds within the high six. The one they haven’t been to but is the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the place Spurs are coached by Brentford’s former supervisor, Thomas Frank.
Pitch dimension doesn’t appear to be an element at grounds the place it’s not doable to adapt to the usual dimension of a Premier League taking part in floor (105x68m). They’re Anfield and Craven Cottage (100x65m), Selhurst Park (101.5x68m) and Stamford Bridge (103×67.5m).
It means that method is extra vital than the bottom.
Did transferring the promoting boards make a distinction?
How may you have an effect on a group’s lengthy throw? Give them much less area for a run-up maybe? That’s precisely what Sunderland did when Arsenal visited the Stadium of Gentle.
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Many groups additionally used it as a tactic towards Pulis’ Stoke.
Sunderland have kind for this, having introduced the boards nearer to the pitch for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final towards Coventry in Could, which they drew on the evening to win on mixture.
However, whereas Arsenal have a well-deserved set-piece status, they haven’t scored from a throw-in routine this season.
On the Stadium of Gentle, the common size of throws into the ultimate third elevated recreation by recreation – from 8.3m when West Ham visited on the opening weekend to 24.9m and 27.4m respectively by the point Wolves and Everton made the journey earlier than the worldwide break.
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Mykolenko’s 33.2m throw was the longest of the season on the floor, so possibly it was his supply which made Sunderland react earlier than Arsenal’s go to.
Whereas a group can’t change their pitch dimensions throughout a season, there may be nothing inside Premier League laws which forbids promoting boards being moved round relying upon who you’re taking part in. The one stipulation is within the legal guidelines of the sport, which state that upright promoting have to be not less than one metre from the touchlines.
“Altering the location of the promoting boards is within the gray zone, like not watering the pitch for those who’re taking part in a very good technical group,” specialist throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark instructed BBC Sport.
Gronnemark, now at Danish membership FC Midtjylland, has labored with many golf equipment, together with Brentford and Liverpool. He helped Jensen hone his long-throw craft and coached Sunderland’s Mukiele at RB Leipzig in 2018.
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“We have seen the identical in Denmark some years in the past, the place FC Copenhagen put their promoting boards additionally solely a few metres from the sidelines as a result of they performed FC Midtjylland,” Gronnemark mentioned.
“Individuals can have totally different approaches. So long as the legal guidelines do not say precisely what to do, however solely suggest what to do, then you’ll be able to’t do something about it.”
Does it make a distinction or is it simply thoughts video games? And would Sunderland be affecting the flexibility of Mukiele, their very own specialist?
“Once you’re taking the promoting boards and placing them actually near the sidelines, you will have a brief run-in,” Gronnemark mentioned. “In case you have a brief run-in, you’ll be able to’t generate a lot energy.
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“In case you are a foul lengthy throw-in group your self and also you’re assembly lengthy throw-in specialists, then it may be a bonus for you. You’ll be able to weaken that weapon.
“Although there are gamers who can throw additional than others with a brief run-in, that is simply the way in which it’s due to method and physics. They are going to nonetheless take metres off their very own throw-in.
“However for those who’re one of the best lengthy throw-in group, then for certain make one of the best circumstances. For instance, we [Midtjylland] went the opposite manner, to make the stadium pretty much as good as doable. We polished down some concrete to optimise the run-in.”
It didn’t make an excessive amount of distinction on the Stadium of Gentle as a result of the common size of a throw into the ultimate third reached one other season excessive within the Arsenal recreation, as much as 28.6m.
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Maybe the important thing level is that solely 5 lengthy throws had been tried, in comparison with 10 and eight by Wolves and Everton respectively. Shifting the promoting boards and decreasing the run-in area may persuade a group to go brief extra usually.
Maybe for Sunderland it was extra about entering into the heads of their opponents, to sign they had been looking for methods to nullify a selected risk.
