FootyChatter.com

Players from both sides were camped inside the six-yard back when Everton met Manchester United last week Holding, wrestling, battling . .. call it what you will. Corner kicks in the Premier League are becoming dominated by it. More goals are being scored, but the amount of pushing and pulling has at times verged on the farcical. Defenders are grappling with attackers, and attackers are tussling with defenders. Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport that "something needs to be done". "At many corner kick situations, there are often as many as 16 players packed into the six-yard box, " Cann said. "This, frankly, is becoming a nightmare for the referee team to police. "We must find a solution to this epidemic. " Are referees, players or coaches responsible for fixing behaviour? Or is it going to take a change in the law? There were several instances of Arsenal and Chelsea players grappling with each other at corners in the Gunners' 2-1 victory on Sunday Set-pieces mean Premier League no longer a joy - Slot 'Ugly' or 'beautiful'? Set-pieces prove decisive for Arsenal again Grappling has dominated the news conferences of managers over the last week. And the frustration appears to be on the rise. Everton boss David Moyes feels the onus has to be on the referees. He said the lack of action has been "poor". Take Everton versus Manchester United last week. The Toffees had several players standing on top of goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Leny Yoro was pushed into the net by James Tarkowski. Then Harry Maguire got involved too. "You get the feeling now that referees really don't want to get involved in any of it, " Moyes said. "It's really poor that they've not tried to deal with it. " With set-pieces becoming ever more important in the Premier League, it means teams seem to be upping their distraction tactics. "Attackers crowd the goalkeeper hoping to nullify his movement and effectiveness, " Cann explained. "Defenders, meanwhile, try to block the attackers' run and seem more interested in looking at their opponent than the ball in many cases. " Arsenal centre-back William Saliba was not penalised for this tussle with Chelsea forward Joao Pedro Moyes said that Arsenal have been the trailblazers for these "dark arts". "Blocking has become a big part of it, " Moyes added. "Let's be fair, the best at it - but with style - would be Arsenal. " It was prevalent in Sunday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Chelsea. On one corner there were numerous Gunners players holding the player they were marking. Chelsea conceded two goals from corners in their 2-1 loss at Emirates Stadium. Manager Liam Rosenior said he is now "taking control" of coaching the defending of set-pieces. Perhaps it has got to the stage where the image of the game is being harmed by players being thrown to the ground time and again. Liverpool boss Arne Slot thinks it is making the Premier League a poorer product. "Most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch, " the Dutchman said on Monday. "My football heart doesn't like it. " Slot believes that fouls would be given in other leagues. In England, the goal stands. And it is clearly a successful tactic in England. The Premier League (27%) has the highest number of set-piece goals in the top five leagues this season. Serie A (24%) is second, followed by the Bundesliga (22%), La Liga (19%) and Ligue 1 (17%). The Premier League, though, believes it has the threshold in a good place. At the start of the season, a survey of coaches, captains, referees and pundits were overwhelming in favour of the current threshold for fouls and video assistant referee (VAR) intervention. The Premier League did place a stronger emphasis on holding, to cover only the most obvious examples. Seven penalties have been awarded for the offence this season, four after a VAR intervention. Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) would argue that it only gets highlighted in the media when high-profile cases crop up. But social media is regularly flooded with images of players being held, and no VAR intervention has been forthcoming. In supporters' minds, VAR is penalising microscopic offsides, but missing what they see as clear fouls. Wider VAR scope and more countdowns for World Cup Referees do not go into Premier League games blind about each team's tactics. Officials are sent a dossier of information by PGMO. It details how each team approaches set-pieces, attacking and defensively. It is supposed to keep referees ahead of the curve on things like grappling and blocking. But with the Premier League's high bar on fouls, much of the holding is allowed. Fans get frustrated by corners being retaken, but Cann says this is because "grappling often begins before the corner is taken". It is not possible to give a foul when the ball is not in play. Maybe this could change? "My Saturday afternoons are now spent sitting next to Alan Shearer watching all the Premier League matches, " Cann said. "Alan's idea, which I think has some merit, is to change the Law so that once the referee actually blows his whistle to restart the game, the referee can then penalise any subsequent behaviour. "You wouldn't have to wait for the ball to be in play to award a penalty. " Cann has his own idea, too. "Attackers must start outside the goal area (six-yard box) before the corner is taken, " Cann explained. "It would solve the issue of the crowded goal area and the goalkeeper being surrounded, blocked and impeded. " We might be waiting a while for anything to happen, though. The International Football Association Board (Ifab) met in Wales on Saturday to thrash out the law changes for next season. Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell batted away questions about grappling. "It wasn't something that we specifically talked about, " Maxwell said. "Whether there's been a change in that type of behaviour during matches, those things happen over the course of a season. "I'm not sure it's necessarily getting worse. " It should be remembered that we are only discussing this because players and coaches are always trying to find that extra edge to score a goal. It might be that a law change really is needed to stop players throwing each other around as a corner is about to be taken. Or maybe it is just a Premier League problem. Get news, insight and fan views on your Premier League team All your football quizzes in one place Premier League index Premier League table Premier League fixtures Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser How can football's lawmakers fix the corner chaos? Why Archer may hold key for England against 'fearsome' India Mbappe set for tests on knee but no surgery planned A classic studio concert by Oasis All the latest action from the Premier League reviewed An intense drama where AI deepfakes have blurred reality The army officer who made history at the 1952 Summer Olympics How can football's lawmakers fix Premier League corner chaos? 'I knew the risks, I'd do it again' - Moody opens up in new BBC documentary Reshuffled flights and players stuck - how sport is navigating Middle East crisis 'There were tears - but I had to peek behind curtain of head injuries in rugby' 'Ugly' or 'beautiful'? Set-pieces prove decisive for Arsenal again New era of Formula 1 - what is changing in 2026? India see off West Indies to book semi-final with England. Video India see off West Indies to book semi-final with England Who has made Troy's Premier League team of the week? Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months 'Hearts & Motherwell the winners after damaging Old Firm stalemate' 'Out of absolutely nothing' - Lamine Yamal's solo stunner. Video'Out of absolutely nothing' - Lamine Yamal's solo stunner Would it be bigger gamble not to give Carrick Man Utd job? Predict F1 drivers' and constructors' championships How do Lionesses solve full-back succession problem? The moment I told my mum I wanted to stop football - and how life changed All you need to know about Netball Super League 2026 'He had it all' - Taylor pays emotional tribute to Virgo. Video'He had it all' - Taylor pays emotional tribute to Virgo The 'rare combination' behind Britain's youngest F1 driver 'Equal in decay' - Mayweather v Pacquiao is another boxing 'carnival' How safe is bare-knuckle boxing as it fights for mainstream appeal? Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.