The NFL tactics influencing the Premier League

On Sunday, Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-1. Although Arsenal created good chances, it was telling that all three goals in the game were the result of corner routines.

It has been common for fans to feel like football has lost some of its magic with star players having less freedom and space to express themselves in open play.

Current professionals however talk about how the quality of players, tactics and coaching staff are better than ever.

Both of these things can be true and looking at how football has become a more structured and choreographed game, resembling American football, can help explain this.

In this article, we analyse tactical ideas Premier League teams are using that resemble the trends seen in the NFL.

In a recent interview Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay was asked to compare football and the NFL, saying: ''The closest thing to what American football is is if every [football] play was a set-piece. Every play represents a set-piece for us."

Set-pieces are becoming increasingly important and, if we accept McVay's expert opinion, the Premier League is resembling the NFL more closely. Corners, free-kicks, throw-ins and even kick-off situations are being prioritised more than in past seasons.

This season, 28.4% of Premier League goals scored have come from set-pieces, the highest of any of the past 10 seasons.

And 3.2% of goals have come from throw-ins, the highest percentage of the past decade too.

It is interesting that McVay was the one to make these observations given his friendship with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Both men are young coaches at the forefront of shaping what their sport looks like tactically and have shared ideas.

In recent seasons, Arsenal have become masters of scoring from set-pieces.

Since the start of the 2023-24 season, they have scored 36 goals from corners in the Premier League, 15 more than any other side in this period.

It is plausible that Arteta's men, and others, have taken inspiration from teams like the LA Rams to inform their set-piece success.

Teams are prioritising set-pieces and to good success but what are they doing within their routines that resemble the NFL?

Generally, teams are asking their players to run pre-determined routes on set-pieces aiming to make space for a free target. This is a change from the less choreographed routines which were often centred around crossing it to certain zones in the box, relying on your best players to win headers through their physicality and duelling.

Looking at set-plays more closely illustrates the similarities in player movement across both sports.

In the NFL, rub routes are plays in which an attacking player makes a movement that indirectly blocks the path of another player. Attacking players run 'routes' close to each other hoping one of their players gets in the way of a defensive back, opening up space for their teammate, particularly against man-to-man pressure.

Gabriel scored the winner against Newcastle impressively but it was William Saliba's off-the-ball interaction with goalkeeper Nick Pope that helped Arsenal score.

The France centre-back made a forward movement that indirectly blocked Pope's path to the ball meaning the English keeper was unable to claim the cross. It was not direct blocking but rather indirect crowding of where the opponent may want to go by running a pre-determined path like the NFL's rub routes.

More deliberate blocking is being used frequently in the Premier League too. Teams are placing players in front of goalkeepers tasked with stopping their movement and ability to defend set-plays.

Chelsea scored three corners against West Ham earlier this season and Liam Delap's role in blocking Hammers keeper Mads Hermansen was key to their success, in a way that resembles some of the off-ball blocking seen in the NFL.

Crystal Palace's goal against West Ham also showcased the use of deliberate blocking in a way that resembled another more choreographed American sport - basketball.

At the far post, Adam Wharton stood still, putting his body between between Marc Guehi and his marker, blocking the West Ham defender's path deliberately (unlike the indirect way rub routes impede movement). This meant Palace's captain was able to break free unmarked.

As a tactic, this looks identical to 'screening' in basketball, a move in which a player stands still to block a nearby defender, allowing space for their team-mates to move freely around them.

What separates football from other sports is just how many factors are at play, making it hard to prepare for everything. In sports like tennis or NFL, games are a series of 'mini-games'.

Football in open play involves 22 players who can move freely across a big pitch. The picture of the game changes very often and preparing for all of these scenarios is difficult. In football, there is an element of having to let the players make decisions and react to what happens on the spot.

McVay recognises the difference in control between the sports, saying: "What I think is so impressive about what [Arteta] does is he's translating a vision of how we [coaches] want to be able to see the game and you're giving players ownership and autonomy just based on the flow of [the game]."

This variance makes football enjoyable for fans but poses uncertainties that some managers may want to reduce. Coaches like Enzo Maresca and Mikel Arteta generally fall into this bracket.

Both Maresca and Arteta prefer to dominate the ball allowing their team to control the game far from their own goal. In previous seasons, Arteta's approach has been described as pragmatic given the lack of risk taken in their attacking play despite dominating the ball.

By playing more safely in open play, teams are able to reduce the uncertainties before capitalising on the safer, more structured parts of the game like set-pieces.

Given the structured nature of these scenarios, teams are able to prepare for them more reliably in the days leading up to a game too, knowing how opponents are likely to be set up and their weaknesses.

This season Arsenal have begun to introduce more risky and incisive passing particularly through the middle of the pitch which deserves credit but the challenge of balancing risk with control is one managers across the league have to contend with.

Across the league however, it does appear that by making the most of these structured game situations, managers are having a greater influence on the game like their NFL counterparts.