Blessed are the set-piece makers

The fact that five of FC Girondins de Bordeaux's six goals in an eye-catching UEFA Champions League campaign have come from set-pieces may not look like a coincidence, but playmaker Yoann Gourcuff told uefa.com: "We don't work on them all that much."

Early qualification
Despite claiming last season's Ligue 1 title courtesy of a remarkable run of eleven consecutive victories, Bordeaux commenced their Group A challenge as underdogs to progress behind Juventus and FC Bayern München. After successive wins against the German side, however, Laurent Blanc's outfit, once again leading the French top flight, are assured of a place in the knockout phase with two games to spare. So is their dead-ball prowess the secret to upsetting the odds?

'Great strength'
"It's one of our great strengths, despite the fact we don't work on them all that much," said Gourcuff, who headed in a Wendel free-kick for Les Girondins' first in the 2-0 triumph at Bayern on Matchday 4. "We've got two good set-piece takers, and then there is a synchronisation between the player taking it and the player trying to get to the ball. I wasn't supposed to go up for the free-kick, but felt it was right. I got free at the far post and scored – it was an important goal."

Chamakh bucks trend
The theme continues in Ligue 1, where eight of Bordeaux's 20 goals have come from set plays. However, it is among Europe's élite that such expertise has proved particularly fruitful, with Marouane Chamakh's 90th-minute strike in Munich his team's first and only score from open play.

Plašil first
Midfielder Jaroslav Plašil was first to get in on the act, opening Bordeaux's account to secure a 1-1 draw at Juventus on Matchday 1. "We have good dead-ball takers, and there's commitment and determination in front of goal," he said. "We want to score goals from set-piece situations. We know that in modern football, it's the small details that count. It's the free-kicks and corners that can decide games."