It’s morning everyone. Wherever you are, I hope you are having a good day. I hope I do that every day, but I’m sure you know that sometimes it’s worth saying out loud.
I touched on this a bit in my recap of yesterday’s 2-0 win over Man Utd, but I think the whole discussion/debate/frenzy about Arsenal scoring from set-pieces is absolutely hilarious and fascinating in equal measure. As fans of this club, we have experienced things that have shaped our views about Arsenal itself, football, matches and what happens within them.
Take us back to last weekend when they tore West Ham apart at the London Stadium. We were up 4-0, played great, and for all intents and purposes won the game. Then, because football is football, they scored two goals in quick succession and I had this 4- 4 draw at Newcastle a few years ago.
If you remember goals from Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and Robin van Persie (2) put us 4-0 up in the 26th minute, after we were down to 10 men we scored 4 goals in the second half, including 2 from Joey. You will also remember what you gave away. Barton of all people. That match took place almost 14 years ago now, on February 5, 2011, and I recalled when West Ham scored twice. Put them in a Vietnam War movie and it would be dismissed as cliché and too cliché. But they were real!
Likewise, I remember games against teams like Stoke and Bolton (especially Stoke in the Tony Pulis era). It felt bad because corners, throw-ins and free kicks could have gone into our box from anywhere on the pitch. . At the time, we were a small team, technical but definitely lacking in stamina and stature, and our opponents seemed to be full of giants who could have been NBA players.
So when the ball came in we saw the goalkeeper’s approach to handling these deliveries looked downright distressing. For example, pray your prayer beads for a short 10 years and then root yourself in the line or close your eyes and hope you come out strong. best. The defenders didn’t look as comfortable as you would have liked. Our 5ft 8in midfielders tried their best but often lacked muscle. And each set piece was a heart-tightening, stomach-turning, nerve-wracking, butt-crushing nightmare. I didn’t mind at all.
As for what we can do on the other side, we didn’t feel particularly threatened, although someone who can dig up the statistics might prove me wrong. The only player remembered for frequently scoring from set pieces was Laurent Koscielny. I know there must have been more, we should have scored a few goals from corners and free kicks every season, but it never felt like we were under constant threat.
So I’m really enjoying what we can do now. If anyone wants to dismiss this as industrial, boring or anti-football, please be my guest. The goals we score from set-pieces are just as valuable as a great move (Leandro Trossard’s goal against West Ham, for example) or a rocket into the top corner (Ricardo Calafiori’s goal against Manchester City). If opposing fans think a set-piece goal is too good to worry about, that’s fine with me.
But I don’t think that’s something any serious manager or head coach will share for long. You can’t ignore what Arsenal are doing. Certainly not when you play us. Because we will test you and your defenses to their absolute limits. Not when you think about how you can win a game against someone else.
However, there is a point that needs to be taken seriously. Here’s what Mikel Arteta has to say about set pieces in September 2020:
This is the key ratio of goals scored and conceded which has a huge impact on results and scores at the end of the season. So it’s another aspect of the game that you have to dominate.
This came shortly after hiring Brentford’s Andreas Georgson as set-piece coach. In July 2021, after the Swede left to take the job at Malmo, Arteta raided Manchester City and brought in Nicolas Jober, whom he had hired/recommended while working as an assistant to Pep Guardiola. To say that the work he did was first-class would probably be an understatement. The result is clear to all as another goal goes into the back of the net and we see the miserable, dejected faces of our opponents who knew what we wanted. I had to, but I couldn’t stop it. That’s demoralizing.
But the bottom line for me is that despite the best preparation, organization, training, planning and everything else, there are days when the team is not fully engaged. Coincidentally, it’s just one of those things in football. We’ve all been there. Looking at the team, I think we can play until midnight without scoring in open play. But with the threat we have from set pieces, there is a bit of a different aspect to the game than everything else.
So even on days when it doesn’t click, days where you can’t find your rhythm for whatever reason, there is still a way to win. This doesn’t happen every time, but it’s a safety net for when performance levels aren’t where we want them to be. As Arteta often says, it’s about maximizing every aspect of the game to give yourself the best chance of winning.
To me it’s not industrial or boring, whatever term you want to use to dismiss Arsenal’s quality from corners and free kicks – it’s common sense. And in a world where supplies are too often short these days, I hope that continues for a long time.
Okay, I’ll leave it there for now. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the Arsecast yet, it’s below. If you want more good-for-your-ears information, we’ll give you a double helping today on Patreon. First, let’s take a look back at all of The 30’s midweek Premier League matches before we head to our Fulham Preview podcast later in the afternoon. Visit patreon.com/arseblog for instant access for just $6 per month.
Have a happy Friday, everyone.
