Who is Jesus Rueda? How can Real Madrid's New Set-piece Coach Help Xabi Alonso's Men?

Xabi Alonso made a new addition to the Real Madrid backroom staff as the team has made a strong start to life this season under the Spanish manager. Jesus Rueda has been hired as the set piece analyst and is already working with the club. Rueda works in tandem with other analysts, Tristan Celador and Oscar Michel, to help the team pay attention to detail and win games with fine margins.

Over the years, we have seen how important set pieces have become to the beautiful game. Special emphasis is being put on throw-ins, quick free kicks and new corner kick routines. In this light, Rueda's hiring signals a clear intent to improve on every aspect and capture the La Liga title from arch-rivals Barcelona.

We will learn more about Jesus Rueda, Jesus Rueda set piece proficiency and Jess Rueda Real Madrid impact.

Who is Jesus Rueda?

Jesus Rueda Gonzalez is a Spanish UEFA Pro License-holding coach with plenty of experience in coaching and scouting. He graduated from Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes in 2018 before venturing into the professional world. He gained valuable experience as a scout for Real Federación de Castilla y León de Fútbol. His major breakthrough came in 2019 when he worked as an Assistant Coach at Real Valladolid U23 in Second Division B.

After a short stint with UD Ibiza as an Assistant Coach, he moved to CD Leganes and worked as a set-piece expert. His impressive performances for a couple of seasons helped him win a dream move as a Real Madrid set-piece coach.

Real Madrid's Set-piece Performance

Real Madrid scored 13 goals from set pieces, excluding penalties, last season. They were joint second and just trailed champions Barcelona by one goal. In contrast, they conceded eight goals from set-pieces, which was twice as many as the Catalans did last season. They were beaten far too easily from corners and free kicks, as the marking patterns were abysmal.

Jesus Rueda set piece numbers weren't the best in the world with CD Leganes, but his methods caught the eye. His side scored six goals from dead balls and conceded 15. It was due to a mix of injuries and the team's lack of quality.

Rueda's fresh ideas helped them innovate wonderfully, but they weren't able to use them well. Leganes almost took a point off Madrid when these sides met in the league last season, and they were mightily impressive from free kicks and corners.

Jesus Reuda Real Madrid Impact

Rueda joined Real Madrid in the summer. His side has scored one goal from set pieces and conceded only once. Madrid has been better at corners, where they were very shaky last season. They are utilising the height of players like Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen well with specialist set-piece takers like Trent-Alexander Arnold and Arda Guler. They are implementing new methods by swarming the keeper, going short and trying the edge of the box corners while attacking. Innovation was on show during free kicks as well. With decoy movement and third man runs, they are generating threats from those situations.

Defending dead balls with better man marking has improved as well. They have used a mix of zonal marking and man marking to adapt to the situation. The team are also utilising throw-ins better to move the ball swiftly from end to end. By closing the opposition options down while defending throw-ins, they are forcing more turnovers.

Rueda's coaching has a specific plan for each player and a tactical system fit for each opposition. They have already accumulated an xG of 1 from set pieces and sit among the league's best in that regard. Despite accumulating a league-high 11xG in the previous season, they are hungry to improve. Jesus Rueda set piece impact at Real Madrid will be much more evident in tight games, which can be decided by a goal from a corner or a free kick.