Earlier this week, our fans on Reddit had the chance to ask Andreas questions - here's how it played out...
How did you get into set piece coaching, and what attracted you to make it your area of expertise?
Andreas: "Honestly, set pieces didn’t attract me! It was Thomas Frank who lured me into it... but the passion grew over time. So, actually, what attracted me in the beginning was working for Brentford, a very progressive club, and working together with Thomas."
We’ve heard in your early career you were a teacher. How has that experience helped shape how you work with players?
Andreas: "That’s correct. When I got my first opportunity to work full-time in football it was as a support teacher and school coach. I was helping kids with challenges in English and Maths to get through school without having to sacrifice their football! It’s probably just a way of seeing how you need to connect with people before you can help them!"
How much time do you get to work with players in an average week?
Andreas: "I’d say around maybe 40 minutes with the full squad. But then a big part is trying to add a little bit here and there, so maybe another 60 minutes of individual work or unit work on the pitch as extra work. Then obviously there’s individual feedback and team meetings on top of that. A big part of the role is being effective with the minutes rather than wishing for more. It’s just using the minutes you have."
How has the re-emergence of the long-throw tactic affected your work?
Andreas: "I’ve had to think so much more about throwing tactics and technique than I ever thought I would. I feel it’s still an area where I need to learn a lot more!"
What’s the one set piece that sticks in your mind? This can be of all time, or Spurs specifically...
Andreas: "This is my favourite of all-time... We had a back-post routine for Ethan Pinnock at Brentford when I did set-pieces for the first time in my life. It was just very successful and effective. So that will always stick in my head, like a first love, that will never go away."
What’s the process of coming up with new set piece patterns when there’s already so much in existence?
Andreas: "I think a lot is not so much surprise special routines, actually just gradual improvement of a set of principles and routines."
When programmes like Monday Night Football analyse set pieces, do they ever show you anything you hadn’t noticed before?
Andreas: "Sure, that happens. It is quite rare that I actually just pick something and add it completely to our process, but there can definitely be small details."
In-swinging corner or out-swinging corner?
Andreas: "It depends a bit on the skills of your players. I would say if you look back, I’ve mainly promoted in-swinging corners."
Do you consider a kick-off a set piece? Do you practice it? I recall hearing about Brentford scoring a couple of goals last season from it - if I recall correctly. And Brentford had a real reputation for scoring early in games...
Andreas: "I think it is a set piece. We consider it that, so we need a strategy for it. But if you think we have 40 minutes per week, very little is dedicated to kick-offs. But there needs to be a strategy with some flexibility in it - so we have that."
Why are free-kick improvisations like the World Cup goal against Argentina so rare?
Andreas: "I think it comes back to the time you have. If you’re going to make a special free-kick routine, it takes a bit of time to get everything synced and worked... then maybe you don’t get a free-kick from that position in 20 games! So you spend quite a lot of your 40 minutes a week on it to get it right, and then it doesn’t happen for a long, long while - maybe you even forget about it when it comes. So that’s why few coaches prioritise that time, whereas many would rather use that time for a corner, which you know will happen five or six times in a game."
Do you ever take inspiration from other sports for set-pieces - for example, rugby lineouts or American football?
Andreas: "I do look at other sports for inspiration. So far not so much from Rugby because I don’t understand the game well enough yet but now I will..."
When you’re attacking set-pieces, how far out does it need to be for you to say, 'go straight for goal' for example from a free-kick?
Andreas: "I think there’s a sweet spot, because if you’re too close to the penalty box it’s hard to get up and down over the wall. When it’s more than 25 metres, it’s too hard to score. So it’s a sweet spot between 20 and 25 metres, quite well within the range of the posts, where I’d like them to shoot. Most of the others I’d like them to try something else."
What are your thoughts on walls at free-kicks? There’s been some debate on whether a wall can actually help the free-kick taker as a reference point or even block the keeper’s vision.
Andreas: "From the sweet spot - 16 to 25 metres - the wall of four or five players makes total sense. Anything further out, I agree, then they might just kill the vision of the keeper and delay his response."
In basketball and NFL, it’s very common to lift other teams’ clever plays and use them yourself. Does this work in the Premier League? And have you ever done it before?
Andreas: "It definitely can be done. The details that you pick up and steal. At different points you see something and it might of course trigger an idea yourself."
Do players have input on making set piece routines?
Andreas: "As they get warmer and the relationship with me improves, they come with more and more input - which I really enjoy."
Does putting your arm up in the corner matter?
Andreas: "Yes! It’s very important for the timing of the receiver. It helps everyone get to their right place at the right time."
What’s it like working with Thomas Frank?
Andreas: "It’s a dream! He’s a very good leader overall - good values, spreads very positive energy, and has very clear roles and responsibilities. And on top of that he’s a very competent, world-class manager."
In your opinion, what’s the biggest misconception fans or pundits have about elements of the game - and your own perspective on the process?
Andreas: "I’d probably say before working as a coach, you think it’s all about technique and tactics and selecting the right players. But then as you start working, the more you understand it’s about spirit, cohesion, and processes - quite slow processes that need to be improved over a long time!"
Can you give me some set piece tips for our Under-7s team?
Andreas: "Please don’t train set-pieces! Let them play and let them enjoy the open spirit of the game."
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone hoping to recreate your journey as a coach?
Andreas: "I think in anything, especially in football because it’s such a random industry, it’s hard to plan a career. So I think it’s more about just improving the things you think you’ll need in your dream job, and then making sure you’re prepared when that dream job comes."
What’s your favourite part of working at Spurs?
Andreas: "It’s the colleagues and the players. It’s a very good group of people willing to sacrifice enough of their own agenda for the better of the team. It’s just a nice environment to be in."
Are you in charge of setting the table at Christmas dinner?
Andreas: "No, that’s a team effort at home."
What’s your favourite meal at Hotspur Way?
Andreas: "You can ask anyone here - it’s breakfast. I light up like a child on Christmas Eve when I go into the breakfast buffet."
Not a question, but as a Spurs fan - thank you!
Andreas: "That’s very nice, thank you!"
Which sport outside football has influenced your work the most?
Andreas: "I don’t think there’s a certain sport. It’s just a general way of seeing improvement and having a growth mindset - that’s been my biggest influence."
If you could change one set piece-related rule, what would it be?
Andreas: "100% I’d add that you can take a maximum of maybe 15 seconds to restart the game. I do enjoy a long throw, but I don’t enjoy taking 45 seconds to do it! Like the eight-second rule for goalkeepers - I’d like a similar one for throw-ins and free-kicks, so teams speed up the game. It’s more enjoyable, more fun."