Expect Leeds United to be far more threatening from set-pieces now Gianni Vio has arrived – but Nottingham Forest could’ve benefitted from his expertise.
Set-piece expert Gianni Vio made such an impression on Walter Zenga that he likened the coach to a 20-goal-a-season striker during his spell at Catania.
“He isn’t just a free-kick wizard. He is like having a 15 or 20-goal striker in the team,” the former Wolves boss told Sky Sports in 2016. “A 20-goal-a-season player can get injured. He can get suspended. But there are set-pieces in every game. Always.
“And he knows how to exploit them best. He’s very skilled at it. He manages to get players scoring who otherwise wouldn’t score.”
Evidence suggests that Leeds United may have made an excellent decision adding Vio to Thomas Christiansen’s coaching staff. Vio’s impact during a spell at Brentford in 2015/16 was nothing short of remarkable.
In the season before his arrival, The Bees ranked second from bottom in the Championship for set piece goals. Midway through 2015/16, however, only four teams in the second tier had scored more.
It’s somewhat remarkable, then, that there did not appear to be any other clubs willing to give Vio a chance to work his set-piece magic. Especially when you consider that Nottingham Forest, in particular, have looked a little toothless from dead ball situations this season.
Forest have tallied an impressive 21 goals in the league but only two of those have come from set pieces. Only Birmingham City, with a grand total of none, have managed fewer.
This is despite Forest boasting a number of strong, physical players with no lack of aerial prowess, from centre-forward Daryl Murphy to centre-halves Matt Mills and Joe Worrall.
Forest could certainly utilise set-pieces for more than they are doing currently so it’s a wonder why they did not give a coach Leeds manager Christiansen described as ‘one of the best in the world’, per the Yorkshire Evening Post, a call.
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