Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been asked about the growing conversation around attackers and defenders grappling before corners in the Premier League.
The issue of pushing and pulling in advance of deliveries has been a prevalent feature in top-flight matches this term, including during United’s recent win at Everton, when Senne Lammens showed admirable command to overcome a frequently congested six-yard area. The Toffees won 10 corners in all but the Belgium international stood up to the examination.
It was a topic again after the weekend's most recent round of fixtures and, as a result, it has been a talking point at the press conferences of Premier League managers ahead of the midweek games.
On Tuesday afternoon, Carrick was asked for his opinion, during our media briefing to preview Wednesday's trip to Newcastle United.
“I think it’s gone too far,”
the former United midfielder said, speaking to journalists during the first part of the pre-match session at Carrington.
“I think it wasn’t long ago where you were kind of told you couldn’t really lay a hand on anybody in the box, and it was going to be stamped out and clamped down on.
“It’s crept in, it’s gone stronger. The success of set-pieces, at corners in particular, being able to put so many bodies close together, has made more teams do it because the success-rate is so high.
“It’s understandable why there are so many teams trying it and doing it, but, in terms of the game, it doesn’t feel like we’ve kind of got that balance right.
“I don’t know what there is to do about it – it’s not for me to decide that, really. But, in the meantime, you’ve got to deal with what’s in front of you and, if it’s allowed, you’ve got to play to it.”
Carrick references success at set-pieces, and particularly corners, as a reason for the growth in grappling in the league this season.
Data provided by the BBC suggests the Premier League has the highest number of set-piece goals across Europe's top five leagues so far in 2025/26, with 215 of the 783 total efforts coming from the dead-ball situations (27.5 per cent).
The percentage is higher than that of Ligue 1 (France), the Bundesliga (Germany), Serie A (Italy) and La Liga (Spain), and is also the division's second-highest rate since 2009/10, underlining the Premier League's set-piece trend this term.
United have scored eight times from corners, so far, in this top-flight campaign, a tally that ranks us joint-fifth in this regard, alongside upcoming opponents Newcastle. League leaders Arsenal are first, having found the net on 16 occasions in this manner, including both goals in their 2-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday.