Why is everyone terrible at taking corners now?

Corners are great. They are the triumph of hope over experience, guaranteed to elicit a big cheer from the crowd no matter how rarely the team actually scores from them. Astute observers will note that if a corner is cleared and immediately results in another one, the second corner receives a far less rapturous reception. This is because the crowd have been reminded of the fact that, like life, they usually end with a whimper, not a bang.

The one above was take by Keisuke Honda during AC Milan’s friendly against Valencia. The Japanese playmaker is undoubtedly an excellent player but he still managed to make it look like he was down Hackney Marshes on a Sunday morning after one too many pints the night before. Perhaps it was his own tribute to Wayne Rooney’s effort against Italy during the World Cup?

And that’s why he gets paid the big bucks.
It was Serge Gakpe of Nantes, however, who took the biscuit, the tea and a selection of jaffa cakes with this splendid corner on the weekend. The choreography with the linesman calls to mind a Busby Berkeley dance sequence.

And to think you get annoyed when your team doesn’t manage to clear the first man with a corner. Simply connecting with the ball isn’t as easy as it looks.