Who is Real Madrid coach Francesco Mauri, the LaLiga giants' set-piece specialist?

In last month’s Spanish-capital derby against Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid ultimately failed to emerge with all three points, conceding a last-gasp Ángel Correa goal that cancelled out Éder Militão’s 64th-minute strike. Given the events that unfolded at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano - referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer had to halt the game for 10 minutes over crowd trouble - the result feels like the least of anyone’s worries. But the fact remains that Madrid passed up the opportunity to take a big bite out of Barcelona’s lead at the top of LaLiga. In the wake of Barça’s defeat to Osasuna on the same weekend, a draw took Madrid a point closer to their arch rivals, but victory would have left them breathing down the Catalans’ necks.

Mauri emerges as Real Madrid’s set-piece supremo

That Madrid found themselves in a winning position at all in the derby, though, was down to a goal that once more threw into sharp relief the fine set-piece work being done by Francesco Mauri, an increasingly important member of Carlo Ancelotti’s backroom team. During Ancelotti’s first spell as Madrid head coach, when Mauri’s father, Giovanni, was Los Blancos’ chief fitness coach, the 35-year-old worked as a rehabilitation specialist. Since Ancelotti’s return to the Bernabéu, however, Mauri has taken on a much more significant role in the first-team set-up, helping to organise training sessions and plan the team’s tactics. In particular, Mauri is now a major influence on Madrid’s dead-ball situations; most notably, he was behind the corner-kick routine that saw the Spaniards open the scoring in their 2024 Champions League final win at Wembley, where Dani Carvajal headed Los Merengues in front from Toni Kroos’s left-wing delivery.

And at the Metropolitano 10 days ago, Mauri’s work on the training ground was again there for all to see: Luka Modric shaped to clip a free-kick into the Atlético penalty area, before instead playing the ball out to the left, where Vinícius Júnior was waiting for the pass. The Brazilian controlled and crossed into the middle, for Militão to bring the ball down and beat goalkeeper Jan Oblak with a powerful drive. It’s not the only time Madrid tried a routine like that. At another point in the derby, Modric took a corner short, but this time collected the return ball before delivering to the top of the area, where Rodrygo Goes was waiting in a good position. Rodrygo’s effort went over, but the move had come off perfectly up until that point.

Mauri key to Valverde-Kroos succession plan

Every time Madrid prepared to take a set piece against Atlético, Mauri could be seen pulling the strings from the visitors’ dugout. What’s more, he has been instrumental in the decision to hand the ball to Fede Valverde whenever Madrid take a shot from a dead-ball situation, with Kroos no longer available following the German’s summer retirement. That choice has already borne fruit. Against Real Valladolid in August, Valverde fired in a second-half free-kick to set the Spanish and European champions on their way to a 3-0 LaLiga victory. And in Madrid’s last game before the October international break, a 2-0 league win over Villarreal on Saturday, Modric played a corner short towards Jude Bellingham, who let it run on to Valverde on the edge of the penalty box. Via a slight deflection off Raúl Baena, the Uruguayan’s shot flew into the far corner, past Diego Conde’s dive. Speaking post-match, Bellingham revealed that it was a routine Madrid had practiced with Mauri that very morning.

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In total, Madrid now have four goals to their name from set pieces this term: Valverde’s strikes against Valladolid and Villarreal; Militão’s effort against Atlético; and Antonio Rüdiger’s effort against VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League in September, scored shortly after the Germans had levelled. And, given the consistent threat Los Blancos offer from dead balls - Madrid are managing attempts on goal on 17% of their corners in LaLiga, for example - that number is sure to grow and grow before the campaign is out. Harnessing the presence of players such as Militão and Rüdiger, and Valverde’s potent shooting ability, Mauri’s efforts behind the scenes have ensured that Madrid strike fear into opponents’ hearts every time they line up a set-piece routine.