Arsenal’s objectives from corners: How can Premier League rivals cease Mikel Arteta and Nicolas Jover’s set-piece techniques?

The warning indicators have been there for Manchester United earlier than Arsenal struck.

With the ball flying out in the direction of an Arsenal nook, Diogo Dalot sprinted to shortly rectify the scenario and concede a throw-in as an alternative. “That’s quite important given how good Arsenal are from corners,” mentioned Sky Sports activities’ Gary Neville on co-commentary responsibility.

However simply 22 seconds later, Dalot may do nothing however concede a nook – and provides Arsenal their first set-piece of the Premier League season. And, in traditional trend, they ended up scoring from it.

It was virtually inevitable. Like final season, Declan Rice’s supply was on the cash. Like final season, Altay Bayindir was unconvincing in clearing from beneath his personal crossbar. Riccardo Calafiori couldn’t miss on the road.

It’s a widespread sight. Because the 2023/24 marketing campaign, the Gunners have scored 31 objectives from corners, averaging a objective each 16 makes an attempt.

And given they common slightly below seven corners a match, it means the possibilities of them discovering the web from a nook lies as soon as each two or three video games – in case you are fortunate.

Arsenal have been thought to be set-piece consultants for round 18 months now – however scoring from their first set-piece of this Premier League season is a message to their rivals: put loads of time and give attention to making an attempt to cease this, or they are going to harm you.

So how can their Premier League rivals even begin to consider stopping them?

Break up their timing

Arsenal’s nook routine begins like another – with the taker, usually Rice or Bukayo Saka, placing their arm up within the air so the gamers within the center know when to begin their combos.

However what these gamers within the center are going to do is extra unpredictable. Arsenal have had a number of routines but additionally a number of beginning positions. Typically the Gunners gamers group collectively on the again submit however at Previous Trafford on Sunday, all of them gathered on the sting of the field.

The explanation why is to make brief runs into the field and create momentum for when the ball arrives within the hazard zone. But it surely additionally creates a little bit of chaos, with opposition gamers being blocked off from making an attempt to defend the ball.

“They’ve done it for a long period of time in terms of the timing – when they start moving, how they move, when they get to the dangerous area, whether it’s the front or the back post,” set-piece coach Marc Orti Esteban instructed Sky Sports activities.

Till final season, Orti Esteban was a set-piece analyst at Brentford earlier than leaving to supervise New England Revolution’s dead-ball division. Working underneath Keith Andrews, he was tasked with making an attempt to work out learn how to cease Arsenal from set-pieces.

And his finest recommendation to attempt to cease that Arsenal chaos? Management it.

“It’s all about breaking their timing and what they do – they are very good at that,” Esteban mentioned.

“If you can stop that with physicality, stopping their runs, making it hard for them to move like they want to do, then you have a better chance of defending that situation.

“It is about being sensible and figuring out that they will ship to the entrance or the again submit. So it’s important to be coated in these areas.”

Teams have tried that in the past, putting a big focus on trying to halt Gabriel’s run towards the penalty box. The Brazilian defender – who has 17 goals from set-pieces in the last five years – can sometimes be seen hovering in the middle of the penalty area, before attacking the ball with a run from deep.

The one concern with utilizing physicality is Premier League referees are clamping down on that this season. There might be stricter punishments for tugging gamers again within the penalty space. “I would expect this time next year for there to have been a few more penalties given for holding offences than what we’ve seen this year,” mentioned Howard Webb earlier than this season began.

Arsenal should give attention to that too, as their ‘blocking’ of defenders might be scrutinised much more. So it reveals the significance of being street-wise when the Gunners get corners.

The significance of a robust goalkeeper

A kind of ‘street-wise’ moments that Arsenal and their opponents have to watch is how the Gunners gamers have an effect on the opposition goalkeeper – an element Manchester United discovered on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Bayindir was deemed at fault for Calafiori’s objective, however there was additionally some intelligent play involving William Saliba, with the Arsenal defender leaning into the United shot-stopper.

Regardless of the PGMOL seeking to clamp down on holding within the field, the VAR deemed Saliba’s intervention on Bayindir as “normal football contact”.

With Arsenal seeking to reap the benefits of each marginal achieve a nook brings, this was one other rule they managed to bend of their favour – particularly given how they prefer to assault the six-yard field throughout corners.

It isn’t the primary time Arsenal have tried and benefited from that tactic.

Within the 3-2 north London derby win at Spurs, Ben White was seen doing an analogous trick on Guglielmo Vicario – giving the Italian goalkeeper a shove – a bounce off the shoulder – so he can be unable to say the cross, permitting Kai Havertz to nod in a close-range header.

It has not all the time labored, particularly involving White. The England worldwide tried an analogous tactic in a 1-0 win at Leicester in 2023 – holding onto goalkeeper Danny Ward’s glove within the hope that VAR wouldn’t catch it. However when Leandro Trossard discovered the web, it was noticed.

Bending the foundations? Sure – however it’s one thing that’s seen quite a bit in Arsenal’s nook routines. So a robust goalkeeper is a should.

Does clearing the penalty space work?

Final season, some groups tried a brand new defensive nook tactic towards Arsenal to assist their defenders get to and clear the ball, together with their goalkeeper.

Crystal Palace, Brighton, Monaco and Spurs all left two or three gamers up on the midway line, which means Arsenal have been compelled to depart just a few gamers again. That not solely decreases the variety of gamers in and across the penalty field but additionally creates area for goalkeepers to return and declare the ball.

“Usually they come with six running into the six-yard box, causing a lot of noise and trouble” Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner mentioned final season. “They are blocking, pushing, and then it looks like every single ball comes to the spot where they expect it.

“The Man Utd recreation towards Arsenal [where Arsenal scored twice from corners in a 2-0 win], United had eight gamers within the six-yard field to defend, and I feel they may have conceded 5.

“We wanted that the box is clearer. It was.”

The one drawback? Arsenal nonetheless managed to attain from a nook towards Palace by way of Havertz. That was as a result of there have been fewer defenders available to react to the German scoring after the ball got here off the submit. “We defended the first ball but we didn’t defend the second ball, the rebound,” mentioned Glasner.

“I think it was not an issue of having three players up, it was just that we have to be so sharp in every situation.”

After Palace tried that tactic, Spurs got here to the Emirates and tried one thing comparable – however ended up conceding a objective from a nook themselves as Gabriel compelled a Dominic Solanke personal objective. It has not been seen once more.

So it doesn’t matter what groups find yourself developing with to foil Arsenal, the Gunners carry on scoring. Leeds are their subsequent guests to the Emirates, with Daniel Farke’s aspect placing a give attention to set-pieces themselves this summer time.

All of Leeds’ summer time signings are 5ft 11in and above. “It’s not a coincidence,” mentioned Farke – as a result of significance of set-pieces of their survival struggle. Will they’ve a solution towards one of many greatest particular person weapons within the Premier League?

Watch Arsenal vs Leeds reside on Sky Sports activities Premier League this Saturday from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm