Footy Eye
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Restarts and set pieces

Restarts are the moments play starts again after stopping: throw-ins, free kicks, goal kicks, corners and the goalkeeper's release.

Set pieces are where many goals come from at every level, and the other restarts decide who keeps the ball. A quick throw-in or free kick can catch a defence that's still organising; a slow one gives everyone time to mark.

The read is what the restart is worth: whether to take it fast, whether to keep the ball or go long, and where the space is before the opponents set up.

What to look for

  • Defenders still turning their backs or organising
  • A teammate free right now, before markers arrive
  • The keeper's quick release to start a counter
  • When keeping the ball is worth more than a hopeful long one

The common mistakeWaiting for everyone to be set when a quick restart would have found a free player.

Worked plays

15 plays from Footy Eye's training pool, with the best read and why.

  1. Play 1

    The situation
    Throw-in deep in your half. They’ve slid across and everyone in front of you has a man on his shoulder.
    Best read
    Back to the centre-back facing the pitch
    Why
    At a throw-in you’re a man short, the ball in your hands rather than on the grass, so the pass worth taking goes to somebody who can see the game. The centre-back receives facing forward and the pitch reopens. The winger’s feet is the classic throw-in turnover: marker on his back, touchline defending for them.
    The other options
    • Down the line into the winger’s feet His marker steps through him and wins it on the touchline.
    • Long throw and fight for the second ball The throw drops among markers, and they win the second ball.
    • Quick one-two off the pivot The pivot’s marker blocks the return, and you’re stuck on the line.

  2. Play 2

    The situation
    Free kick in the middle third, no whistle needed. Their block is still jogging back and your winger has already gone.
    Best read
    Play it now into the winger’s run
    Why
    A restart is worth whatever they haven’t organised yet, and that window shuts in about four seconds: your winger is free only because eleven men are still jogging. Waiting to get your own shape up trades a free man for a set block, a trade you lose every time. The square pass restarts nothing.
    The other options
    • Wait and get your own shape up By the time you’re set, they’re set too and your winger is marked.
    • Roll it square and restart possession The square ball is safe, but their block is back in shape.
    • Take your time and clip it long You clip it long, but they’re set now and head it clear.

  3. Play 3

    The situation
    90+3, a goal down, and you’ve won a corner. Your keeper is still running up from his box.
    Best read
    Hold it — wait for your keeper
    Why
    This is almost certainly the last delivery of the match, so it goes in with your biggest body in the box, not two seconds earlier without him. Their block is set either way — rushing it buys nothing. The short corner trades your one real chance for a phase you have no time to finish.
    The other options
    • Whip it in now before they set Their keeper claims it over your one man in the box.
    • Play the short corner and work an opening The short corner eats the clock, and the whistle goes.
    • Drive it low to the edge The low ball reaches the edge, but nobody is there yet.

  4. Play 4

    The situation
    Free kick, thirty-five yards out. Your teammate is ready to go; their line is still walking back, keeper arguing with the referee.
    Best read
    Sprint in behind now, before they get back
    Why
    A free kick in their half is worth most in the first three seconds, before anyone is marking or counted back. Their defenders are jogging with their backs to the space and the keeper is not looking — the run is on now. Coming short is tidy but buys them time to get set.
    The other options
    • Wait for the referee to set the wall The wall sets, the markers pick up, and the moment is gone.
    • Come short and offer a simple pass You keep the ball, but their line is back and set.
    • Get into the box at the back post Their defenders jog back into the box and pick you up.

  5. Play 5

    The situation
    Your throw, near halfway. Their two centre-backs are still jogging back from their own corner and nobody has set their line.
    Best read
    Take it now, down the line, in behind
    Why
    A throw is the only restart with no whistle — the advantage lives in the seconds before they are organised, burning while you look up. Down the line puts the ball behind two defenders still facing their own goal. Waiting hands back a free head start, and the reset to the centre-back kills the moment.
    The other options
    • Wait for your teammates to push up Their centre-backs get set, and the space down the line closes.
    • Throw it back to your centre-back Your centre-back has it, and their line is set again.
    • Throw it inside to a marked midfielder His marker nips in front, and they break on your throw.

  6. Play 6

    The situation
    Their keeper has it in his hands. His full-back has already broken wide for the roll-out. You press that side.
    Best read
    Get in the lane and kill the roll-out
    Why
    You can’t press a ball in his hands, so press what he’s looking for. Stand in the lane to the full-back and the restart is gone: he kicks long into a 50/50 or holds it until your block is set, and both suit you. Charging him achieves nothing he can’t step around.
    The other options
    • Close the keeper down, make him hurry He steps around you and rolls it out to the full-back.
    • Drop into your block, let him restart He rolls it to the full-back, who brings it up freely.
    • Man-mark their pivot in the middle The keeper rolls it wide, and the full-back carries it forward unopposed.

Train it

Short untimed sessions with the reasoning after every answer.

Train Restarts and set pieces

Test it

Ten plays, twenty seconds each, one Football IQ from 60 to 140.

Take the Football IQ Test

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