{"id":1145267,"date":"2020-06-17T10:45:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T09:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1145267"},"modified":"2025-05-21T08:45:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T07:45:41","slug":"liverpool-throw-in-revolution-thomas-gronnemark-interview","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/liverpool-throw-in-revolution-thomas-gronnemark-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"The inside story of Liverpool’s throw-in revolution since hiring Thomas Gr\u00f8nnemark"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool<\/span> are one of the best sides in world football right now and their excellence extends over all areas of the pitch, even throw-ins.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some teams are said to be great at set pieces but what that really means is that they’re a threat from corners and wide free-kicks that function as pseudo-corners. That’s the extent of the analysis. The other types of set pieces are largely ignored by most teams, but not Liverpool<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The Reds<\/span> are famed for their attention to detail and nowhere is that better exemplified than in the fact that they have a dedicated throw-in coach. Thomas Gronnemark<\/a> is a 44-year-old Danish athlete (plus author and speaker) who is\u00a0 pioneering a new field, working with a number of clubs across Europe \u2013 chief among them the Premier League champions-elect.<\/p>\n

Changing conceptions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Throw-ins, Gr\u00f8nnemark contends, are a chiefly undervalued part of football; “if you’re losing the ball at a throw-in, it has the same consequence as with a normal pass on the pitch, you are risking that the opponents are scoring a goal. And if you keep the possession, you have control, then you can create chances and score goals.”<\/p>\n

“When I’m going to see a Champions League match, with just two teams, [and] then the throw-in level is as if I’m going to a Sunday league match, and that’s crazy to think about when you see how many billions of dollars, pounds, euros<\/span>, the different top teams have,” he tells Squawka in an exclusive interview.<\/p>\n

“There is a lack of knowledge around throw-ins and that’s my dream to change that, not only in pro football but for amateur and youth coaches all around the world.”<\/p>\n

It’s a dream he’s realising through his work with Liverpool<\/span>, where he has played his part in the Reds<\/span> going from helter skelter side to one of the most ruthlessly efficient teams the world has ever seen.<\/p>\n

\"The

Thomas Gr\u00f8nnemark working with KAA Gent’s first-team squad in January 2020<\/p><\/div>\n

Possession gains<\/strong><\/h2>\n

“In the 2017\/18 season, before I came to Liverpool<\/span>, [they] were number 18 out of 20 in the Premier League at throw-ins under pressure, where all the players are marked, with a possession of 45.4%. And in my first season with Liverpool<\/span>, we improved up to 68.4% and went from number 18 in the Premier League to number one in the Premier League.”<\/p>\n

In 2017\/18 Liverpool<\/span>‘s total possession during the season was 60.77% with a passing accuracy of 83.76%. In 2018\/19 with Gr\u00f8nnemark on board, those numbers rose to 62.17% and 84.45% respectively.<\/p>\n

One could surmise the passing improvement was solely responsible for the possession jump, but then passing accuracy fell between 2018\/19 and this season (it’s currently 83.9%) and yet Liverpool<\/span>‘s possession has improved again, climbing to 62.97%. It seems highly likely that the throw-ins must be playing a part, and even if it’s a small part it can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

So what exactly is Gr\u00f8nnemark teaching Liverpool? What is his philosophy that has helped give the Reds<\/span> this edge? Well, he best sums his philosophy up with the title of his upcoming book: “The Long, Fast and Clever Throw-in.”<\/p>\n

The Long Throw-in<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Long throws are what most people think of when they think of specialised throw-ins, Rory Delap hurling the ball through the Stoke air, tormenting defenders across the Premier League<\/span> to the extent that some pundits thought they would somehow be a match for Barcelona<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Gr\u00f8nnemark doesn’t dismiss the value of Delap-style long throws, but “primarily if you are a big, physical team, really only doing set pieces.” However that doesn’t mean that long throws aren’t a key part of his philosophy that he coaches everywhere he works. Essentially, it’s not all about scoring goals.<\/p>\n

“The reason why I’m coaching the long throw-in in clubs like Liverpool<\/span>, is because the throw-in area grows the longer throw-in you have, and it’s really important because if you have a greater throw-in area then you can also throw to more teammates.”<\/p>\n

Giving a specific example of how he’s helped a player increase their throw-in range, he references how “Andy Robertson has improved from 19 to 27 metres, improving his throw-in area by over 500 square metres.” This massive area of pitch into which Robertson can accurately throw the ball means it is so much harder to put him under pressure when he has the ball in his hands, so Liverpool<\/span> can more easily retain possession which, as mentioned, is a key part of what he wants to do.<\/p>\n

The Fast Throw-in<\/strong><\/h2>\n

‘Corner taken quickly’ has become a meme amongst Liverpool fans, and Gr\u00f8nnemark wants throw-ins to be taken with the same kind of urgency because they can obviously unleash counter-attacks by catching opponents unaware.<\/p>\n

But that doesn’t mean that teams should be all-go all the time because of the risk of turning the ball over with a sloppy throw into a dangerous area; “the fast throw-in is also about learning when to throw fast but also when to have patience.”<\/p>\n

The Clever Throw-in<\/strong><\/h2>\n

“The clever throw-ins [are] all about how can we create space so we don’t lose possession, or we keep the ball and keep control and after that, creating chances and scoring goals. This is the final piece of the puzzle, the one which gives the players understanding of what to do and when to do it by training and preparing them for a massive number of permutations.<\/p>\n

“I’m working with three different zones and 40 to 50 throw-in tools. Of the three zones we have like 10, 15, 20 tools, it means that if we are trying to create space in the near area, if we can’t do that because the opponents are marking that space, then we know that there are two, three, four other options.”<\/p>\n

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19m \u2192 27m = 500\u33a1<\/p>\n

Why @andrewrobertso5<\/a> needed to improve his throw-ins and how @ThomasThrowin<\/a> helped him and other Liverpool players do it. ? pic.twitter.com\/aS4ofSIbb8<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 8, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n