Designed Attacking Set Plays & Execution Analysis

Reusable attacking sets are designed movement patterns executed once the team reaches a specific position — analogous to basketball plays. The "elevator screen" analogy: two players set picks to free a third for a clean receiving position. Football equivalents exist (Yaya Touré at Man City as the "point guard," Agüero as the "post-up," overlapping runs as secondary options) but are less codified. Event data can be used to identify whether designed sets are being executed and at what success rate, and to identify recurring undesigned patterns that could be formalized.

Analysis: (1) define the set — a sequence of player movements from a trigger position; (2) identify all possessions that enter the trigger position; (3) check which possessions show the designed movement pattern vs. improvised alternatives; (4) compare xG outcomes between "set executed" and "set not executed" possessions. Additionally: identify if players are making the same read (same pass) every time from a specific position — this reveals both formalized sets and unintentional predictability.

1. Assuming football doesn't have set plays: Virtually all organized teams have informal recurring patterns — the question is whether they're designed and measured.
2. Analyzing set plays only for corners and free kicks: Open-play set plays from specific trigger positions are often more impactful and less defended.