Newcastle press set-piece advantage as dedicated coach aims to unlock aerial threat

Newcastle United are making a targeted push to convert their aerial potential into regular goals from set-pieces, hiring a dedicated set-piece coach to lead the charge as they prepare for a key test against Arsenal.

The Magpies boast a roster designed for danger at set-plays: Dan Burn at 6-foot-7, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Joelinton and William Osula all among a crop of players who can threaten from corners, free-kicks and long throws. In addition, the club-record signing Nick Woltemade — a 6-foot-6 forward who joined from Stuttgart last month — has joined a dressing room that already feels height-forward in every sense. Head coach Eddie Howe has repeatedly stressed that Newcastle have the personnel and the deliveries to trouble teams in the box, but that the execution just hasn’t clicked consistently yet. He also made clear that the responsibility for improving lies with him and his staff, not the players alone, saying the work to improve must be done.

Context from last season illustrates the challenge: Newcastle opened the campaign with a drought of goals from set-pieces, launching a high volume of long throws and crosses without reward. The club eventually found a way to translate dead-ball opportunities into success — including a Wembley final in which set-pieces contributed to their cup run — but for Howe, more was possible. In the Premier League last season, Newcastle scored 13 goals from free-kicks and corners, a respectable total that reflected the work of his staff on routines and delivery, even if the execution sometimes lagged in real-time matches.

The decision to recruit a dedicated set-piece coach gained momentum as Howe sought to share the load. Martin Mark, who previously built set-piece damage at Midtjylland, joined Newcastle in June after a record of producing goals from dead-ball situations in Denmark. Midtjylland’s head of sport Kristian Bak praised Mark for his obsessive attention to detail and his belief that a club should strive to be the best in the world at set-pieces, noting that Mark’s daily routines extended the importance of dead-ball situations across multiple departments. A contemporary of Mark at Midtjylland, Thomas Gronnemark — a renowned long-throw specialist who worked with Mark on the approach — described him as a talented, hungry coach who could transfer that intensity across the organisation and lift Newcastle’s production from dead balls.

The shift in Newcastle’s approach this season has extended beyond recruitment. Howe has incorporated more varied restarts, including a noticeable uptick in long throws into the box. Opta data show the club has already launched 13 long throws into the penalty area in the opening five league games of the new campaign, a sharp rise from the solitary long-throw incident in the previous season. The increase mirrors a broader trend around the game, with a growing sense that restart plays and long-throw policies can generate direct chances or create chaos in the box. It also aligns with how clubs have attempted to apply pressure on opponents from the start of play, an innovative tactic used by some teams to tilt possession and tempo in their favor.

Even as the ball is being aimed toward the air, Newcastle’s identity at set-pieces has continued to evolve. One vivid reminder of their potential arrived in a recent league game when a long-throw routine helped trigger a goal sequence: Tino Livramento delivered the throw, the ball was returned into play and Bruno Guimarães headed home from the far post after a flicked touch from Burn, with substitute William Osula finishing from close range after a second ball. It was a reminder that, when battering ram-like players react quickly to dead-ball scenarios, Newcastle can still generate shots and goals from situations that once seemed stagnant.

The question now is whether Mark’s framework can yield consistent returns. In the Premier League this season, only four teams have generated more shots from set-pieces than Newcastle, yet the club has converted only one such effort across all competitions. By contrast, Arsenal have shown a sharp proficiency, with roughly half of their goals in the league this season coming from set-pieces, including decisive strikes against Manchester United and early openings against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United. Arsenal’s potency underscores why Howe’s side faces a stern test on Sunday against one of the Premier League’s most dangerous teams in dead-ball situations.

Newcastle’s underlying metrics also highlight a gap in expected goals from dead-ball situations. The club’s current expected goals from set-pieces sits below Arsenal’s marks, signaling that there is room to improve without changing the defensive approach. Howe has insisted that the plan is to convert set-piece opportunities into tangible goals, stressing that his team has illustrated the capability to do so when the plan is executed correctly, even if recent results have not always reflected that potential. He noted that a performance like the goalless Bournemouth game, if replicated with a different outcome from a set-piece, could represent the perfect away performance — a performance that narrowly misses reward. But he warned that the team should not rely on chance and must harness dead-ball situations more reliably to make a difference.

Gronnemark remains confident that Mark will be a catalyst for Newcastle’s improvement. He described the coach as a talented figure whose intensity and method can spread through the club and lift the entire set-piece operation. If Mark’s philosophy takes root, the club could see a more consistent production from corners, free-kicks, and restarts in the weeks ahead, especially in high-stakes matches against teams that are carefully tuned to defend set-pieces.

With Arsenal looming on Sunday as a test case, Newcastle will look to translate better preparation into better outcomes at the most precise moments of a game. The combination of a taller, more physically imposing squad, a dedicated set-piece coach, and a broader adoption of long-throw strategies has created a framework that could finally unlock a more reliable threat from dead-ball situations. If Mark’s program yields dividends, Newcastle will not only shorten the gap to the league’s best in this facet of play but could also establish an identity that relies on dynamic, unpredictable restarts as a staple of Howe’s broader tactical plan. As the campaign progresses, the Magpies will be judged on whether their work in training translates into goals at critical moments, turning what has often been a structural advantage into a consistent, match-changing weapon.