Set-Piece Specialist Stuart Reid’s Corner Tactics At Brighton & Brentford-Inspired CD Castellón

CD Castellón‘s recent change in ownership has given them the economic potential for growth as a club to return to the top flight of Spanish football after an absence of more than 30 years.

Prior to owner Bob Voulgaris’ takeover of the club in 2022, ‘Los Orelluts’ had spent nine out of 10 seasons in the third tier of Spain, but the investment from the new owner provided an instant impact, with the club quickly gaining promotion to La Liga 2, and not looking out of place.

The Greek-Canadian pro poker player gambled his way to wealth, using a data-driven approach to minimise the risk of betting.

He is carrying over that method in his ownership style, inspired by Brighton and Brentford’s approach, how they rose from the lower leagues of English football to now achieving sustained success between the top half and European spots in the Premier League.

This data-driven approach, using different models to calculate the likelihood of different outcomes, provides Castellón with the opportunity to identify high-potential signings and sign quality players for low fees, thanks to the good underlying data.

This insightful approach doesn’t only apply to players but also to the staff at the club.

Dick Schreuder was appointed for the start of the 2023/24 season after helping PEC Zwolle gain promotion to the Eredivisie, being attracted away from the top flight in Holland to join the third tier of Spanish football.

He was identified as a coach who aligns with the way the club is going to be taken forward.

In his first season at Castellón, he dominated the league to achieve promotion to the second tier.

However, a bad spell of results led to his recent sacking, with assistant Johan Plat taking charge at this time.

Along with the managerial change, Castellón set out to become as strong as possible in all phases of play, which meant searching for a set-piece specialist.

Who better to appoint than Stuart Reid, who has a proven track record of helping sides such as Como and Blackburn to change their fortune in set plays by providing detailed analysis and new ideas to take advantage of set-piece opportunities.

This tactical analysis will delve into the tactics Castellón uses to optimise their set-piece routines.

We will also analyse how Reid has moulded a team capable of learning and utilising many different routines on a weekly basis, adapting the strategy based on the opposition’s defence.

One constant in this set-piece analysis is their coordination and clarity in knowing which routine to use and when.

They also use screens to create space in targeted areas, creating an unopposed shooting situation.

We will examine what makes Castellón exciting to watch from set pieces and how they could become even stronger in the future.

Key Aspects Of Screen Effectiveness
What makes Castellón both an exciting and dangerous set-piece side is that the team has clear ideas, with every player aware of their role for each corner kick.