The 2026-2027 season has been off to a rocky start for Universitatea Craiova, with the team struggling to find consistency in their defense. One particular area of concern has been the concession of goals from set pieces, a problem that has plagued the team in their opening matches.
The issue began to manifest in the team’s double-header against Levski Sofia in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. Craiova lost the first leg 0-1 in Sofia, before drawing the return leg 2-2 at home. All three goals conceded by the Bulgarians in the tie came from set pieces, a worrying trend for the Romanian champions.
Things only got worse for Craiova in the following weeks. A 1-5 thrashing at the hands of Dinamo in the Romanian league, with three of the goals coming from set pieces, left the team reeling. The problems continued in Europe, where a 1-1 draw against Finnish side KuPS in the Europa League qualifying rounds saw Craiova concede their equalizing goal from a corner kick.
The Set Piece Conundrum: A Season of Contrasts
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time Craiova has struggled with set pieces. However, the contrast between this season’s results and last season’s is striking. In the 2025-2026 campaign, under the same manager Filipe Coelho, Craiova conceded only one goal from a set piece in their 24 league matches. This season, they’ve already conceded seven such goals in their opening matches.
From Strength to Weakness: The Evolution of Craiova’s Defense
The statistics paint a stark picture of the team’s regression in defending set pieces. In last season’s championship-winning campaign, Craiova conceded 15 goals in the league, with only one coming from a set piece. In the current season, they’ve conceded 10 goals in just a few weeks, with seven of those coming from the same area of the pitch.
It remains to be seen how Craiova will address this issue, but one thing is certain: the team’s vulnerability from set pieces has become a major concern for the coaching staff and fans alike. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if the team can find a solution to this problem and return to their usual defensive solidity.
For now, the alarm bells are ringing, and the team’s title defense hangs precariously in the balance.