Coaching Throw-Ins: The Underrated Set Piece

The stat that changed everything

Before the collaboration, Liverpool retained possession from throw-ins under pressure 45.4 per cent of the time. After their first season with Thomas Grønnemark, that rose to 68.4 per cent — climbing from 18th in the league to 1st.

In their title-winning 2019/20 season, 14 of their 85 league goals came from throw-in situations.

This is no minor detail. It is a set piece that occurs twenty to thirty times per match and is left entirely to chance by most teams.

Why throw-ins are so often wasted

A typical scene in grassroots football unfolds like this: the ball goes out of play, the nearest player picks it up, all their teammates stand still and are marked, and the throw-in goes either to the centre-back or back into touch.

There are three reasons behind this:

• Nobody moves. A throw-in is the only situation in football where your team knows exactly when the ball will re-enter play. This advantage is wasted if no one makes a run.
• No clear responsibility. Who takes the throw-in is decided randomly based on whoever happens to be closest.
• It is never practised. Corners and free kicks feature in the session plan; throw-ins do not.

Long, fast, clever

Grønnemark distinguishes between three types of throw-ins. This classification is useful because it makes one thing clear: the long throw is only one of the three — and the one that is least frequently appropriate.

The long throw-in targets the penalty area and works just like a corner. It requires a player with the right throwing technique and is almost only worthwhile in the final third.

The quick throw-in exploits the window of opportunity before the opposition can get organised. It is the most effective and most underrated variation — and it costs nothing except awareness.

The clever throw-in relies on off-the-ball movement: one player drags an opponent away, another attacks the space created. This is precisely where the difference between 45 and 68 per cent possession lies.

The quick throw-in

The simplest rule you can introduce tomorrow: whoever is closest to the ball takes the throw-in. Not the full-back, who first has to run thirty metres.

Combine this with two automated routines:

• A teammate offers an option immediately, without waiting for a signal.
• The thrower looks forward first, then sideways, then back.

The quick throw-in works particularly well at grassroots level because opposing sides rarely drop back in an organised fashion.

The clever throw-in: Movement creates space

Without movement, every throw-in becomes a 50-50 duel. With movement, it becomes an overload.

Two patterns that work anywhere:

• Checking away and coming back. A player makes a run towards goal and checks back just before the throw into the space their marker has just vacated.
• Crossover runs. Two players run across each other. This creates a brief moment of hesitation for defenders over who tracks whom.

Crucial to this is defensive cover behind the ball. Losing possession near your own penalty area after a throw-in is one of the most dangerous situations in football — the same principle as rest defence in build-up play, see Build-up play in youth football.

Who takes the throw-in?

At Liverpool, six to seven different players take throw-ins. That is no accident, but the direct result of the rule that the nearest player takes it.

For your team, this means:

• Everyone practises it, not just two players.
• Know who can deliver a long throw — and call them up specifically in the final third.
• Technique matters. Both feet on the ground, ball behind the head, two hands. In youth football, it pays to demonstrate this properly once, rather than penalising foul throws every week.

How to bring it into your training sessions

You don't need a dedicated session for this. Five minutes a week is enough:

• Incorporate throw-ins into training games. When the ball goes out, it's a throw-in — not the coach feeding in a new ball.
• Add a condition. For example: after every throw-in, your team must complete three touches before possession is considered secure, otherwise the ball is turned over.
• Practise the movement unopposed, then with passive opposition, then fully opposed.
• Keep track. How many throw-ins stay with your team? This single stat makes progress tangible.

How to systematically structure set pieces across the board is covered in our article on corners and free kicks. If you want to analyse Liverpool's style of play under Klopp, check out Jürgen Klopp's tactics.

5 Takeaways for Coaches

• The nearest player takes it. This single rule costs nothing and transforms your tempo immediately.
• No throw-in without movement. At least one player must make a run before the ball is in hands.
• The long throw is the rarest option. Quick and clever beat it almost every time.
• Ball out of play means throw-in, even in training. Otherwise, you never practise the situation.
• Track possession retention from throw-ins. Without the numbers, you're just guessing.