Pep Guardiola still remembers the sound that told him why football in England was different to Spain: the roar from the terraces when a team won a corner or a set-piece. “When I was a young boy we said the people in England celebrate corners and free-kicks like a goal,” the Manchester City manager reflected. “I remember perfectly, so nothing has changed in that way.”
But Guardiola has been in the Premier League long enough to know that something has changed. Opta has reported that the percentage of goals scored from corners this season is at its highest in Premier League history, at around 18 per cent.
