When building a Fantasy Premier League squad, knowing the set-piece takers for each club can give managers the edge over mini-league rivals.
Ahead of 2019/20, The Scout analyses which players to target.
Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s (£11.0m) prolific first full season for Arsenal was boosted by his penalty duties.
He was the top-scoring forward in FPL with 205 points, thanks to 22 goals and seven assists.
Aubameyang took all five of the penalties Arsenal were awarded in 2018/19, scoring four times.
Indeed, only three players converted more spot-kicks.
Arsenal's set-piece takers
| Choice | Penalty | Corner | Free-kick |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Aubameyang | Xhaka | Xhaka |
| Second | Lacazette | Ozil | Ozil |
| Third | - | Mkhitaryan | - |
Xhaka hit and miss
Granit Xhaka (£5.5m) also has dead-ball duties to thank for his improved goal output in 2018/19.
The midfielder scored two direct free-kicks, second only to the three of James Maddison (£7.0m) in FPL.
That helped Xhaka to four goals in 2018/19, more than his combined haul of three over the previous two seasons.
However, the Swiss’s delivery from dead-ball situations was less productive.
In addition to his free-kick duties, Xhaka took 95 corners, more than any team-mate. Yet no side created fewer chances from set-pieces than Arsenal’s 36.
Defensive targets
Laurent Koscielny (£5.0m) was their most productive player from set-piece situations, scoring three times.
But the defender can be considered somewhat fortunate, having returned those three goals from just five attempts.
Shkodran Mustafi (£5.5m) was Arsenal’s main threat at free-kicks and corners.
The centre-back recorded 18 such efforts and both his 2018/19 goals came from these situations.
