Set-piece coaches are now common in elite clubs, and Arsenal may have the best in Nicolas Jover.
Along with the endless hours of data analysis and training, another factor has been jokingly proposed as the reason for Arsenal’s success: a resemblance to Stoke City under Pulis, who is frequently cited as the quintessential direct, no-nonsense team that made the most of their physical strengths.
After the game, former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov grinned and posted on Amazon Prime Sports, saying, “Arsenal are the new Stoke City – depending on set-pieces to give them the win.”
Roberto Martinez, the head coach of Portugal and a former manager of Everton, continued: “We all suffered from Stoke. Tony Pulis deserves a lot of credit, in my opinion.
Arsenal isn’t quite on par with Stoke, who scored 43.1% of their Premier League goals (81 of 188) from set pieces (not including penalties) between 2008 and 2013 under Pulis. Perhaps we need a long-throw expert like Rory Delap?
Other commentators and coaches were much more inclined to commend the Gunners; Gary Lineker called Arsenal’s set-piece delivery’s consistency “extraordinary.”
Speaking to Amazon, United manager Ruben Amorim labelled Arsenal’s corner routines “incredible, especially the way they change the games, because sometimes they are not dominating. The game was very split today; there were no significant chances, but one set-piece could alter the outcome.
As you can see, Saka and [Gabriel] Martinelli go outside and cross paths in every circumstance. They are aware that they can score if the cross goes well. They can score if it goes for a corner.
Kings of Premier League set piece
| Club | Goals | Set Piece (no pens) | % Set Piece |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVE | 54 | 27 | 50.0% |
| LUT | 52 | 16 | 30.8% |
| ARS | 119 | 30 | 25.2% |
| WHU | 78 | 18 | 23.1% |
| WOL | 72 | 16 | 22.2% |
| LEI | 19 | 4 | 21.1% |
| AST | 98 | 20 | 20.4% |
| BOU | 74 | 15 | 20.3% |
| NEW | 102 | 20 | 19.6% |
| MNU | 74 | 14 | 18.9% |