Arsenal are the scapegoat in Premier League debate as set-piece fallout takes new twist

Arsenal are not the cause of English football's alleged entertainment problem with critics scurrying to single-out the Premier League leaders

Are you bored of it yet? No, not Arsenal scoring another goal from a set-piece, but instead this narrative that not only are the Gunners supposedly the only side to see a corner find the back of the net, but that Mikel Arteta’s side are ruining the game we all love and adore on their own.

Chris Sutton, for the second week running, decided to use his airtime on BBC Radio 5 Live to describe Arsenal as potentially being the “ugliest” team ever to win the league. I know the spiel, I’ve been asked the question myself when on radio stations, podcasts or wherever else about what this side represents and whether it will be the “worst ever” winner, etcetera and so on…

We know where it comes from; first and foremost, it’s great content! It’s right here, me, now, in this moment, tapping away at this keyboard sucked in like Gabriel Magalhaes to a Declan Rice delivery from a glorious set-piece routine whipped up by the mastermind that is Nicolas Jover.

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“Set-piece Arsenal again,” Sutton said in his latest Arsenal swipe. “I think they are going to win it.”

Oh no…

Sutton continues: “If they get over the line, will they be the ugliest Premier League winning team in history?”

This is a broader frustration with the game, which, at this moment in time, the Gunners appear to have dealt with better than anyone else. Every single club is looking for the finest of marginal gains, be that tactically, psychologically or mentally.

The game is not like it was twenty years ago. It is far less open, players’ roles are not as one-dimensional, and the responsibilities per position extend vastly beyond those of players in the early 00s and before.

This malaise with Arsenal and where they are is, instead, I think, a greater frustration that what we see on our screens isn’t like the “Barclays” era of the Premier League. But when you zoom out, isn’t English football actually in a great state of drama and entertainment?

Arsenal might win their first title in 22 years, while Tottenham Hotspur are in a relegation battle. Spurs sacked their head coach, Thomas Frank, who left Brentford to join them, and now the Bees, courtesy of, ironically, a set-piece coach turned head coach, are chasing European qualification alongside Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth!

Manchester United are actually quite good again after beating both the two main title challengers but have been knocked out of the League Cup by Grimsby and the FA Cup, at Old Trafford by Brighton and Danny Welbeck.

Chelsea, after spending billions on players, could yet miss out on Champions League qualification, plunging them into major financial questions, which might see them go through another different period after a change of ownership. Newcastle United won the League Cup, qualified for the Champions League and now might finish in the bottom half.

Aston Villa were considered title challengers for more than half the season, before a classic Unai Emery bottling (some things never change). Crystal Palace won the FA Cup and then were eliminated by non-league Macclesfield in the biggest upset the competition has ever seen.

Yet supposedly, this is the worst state English football has ever been in? Sorry, what?

And let’s, for a moment, boil down this set-piece narrative, which, when you dig even just a little deeper, you find out just how flawed it all is.

Arsenal are currently the fifth most efficient side from set pieces. 58 goals scored, where 22 have come from set-pieces (38%). Chelsea, 19 from 49 (39%), Leeds, 17 from 37 (46%), Newcastle, 19 from 40 (49%), and Crystal Palace, 15 from 30 (50%) have all been more efficient than the Gunners.

Arsenal are second only to Manchester City when it comes to goals from open play. Bearing in mind they’ve lost several of their most creative players for significant portions of the campaign, like Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and, particularly, Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal have equalled the record number of goals scored from corners in a single Premier League season, because, well, they’re good at it. Only Newcastle have won more than the Gunners (193 > 170).

But then Chelsea have won just two fewer than Arsenal, and Liverpool, who have been the best at them since the turn of the new year, have won just seven fewer. And where do people truly believe these corners come from?

This isn’t some great chicken and egg mystery, yes, some corners will be won from preceding set-pieces, but they come from attempts at goal, attacking play which forces the opponents to block, deflect or clear a ball out of play. Brentford have successfully utilised long throws better than anyone, much thanks to Michael Kayode, who scored in their 4-3 win over Brentford following the other, which levelled the scores against Arsenal at the Gtech only a few weeks ago.

Arsenal are terrible at throw-ins despite how much Declan Rice might try to take them. They are far from their forte, and it's perhaps no surprise that rumours circulated that a throw-in consultant was brought in to help the club improve in this aspect of their game.

The reality is this is just part of a broader cycle. Football, like any sport or competition, sees periods where a technique, style or tactic can dominate.

Then the teams get wise to it, prepare better for it, put more measures in place to stop it, and it fades, replaced by something else. If you’re so upset at Arsenal being so good at something, you should be more upset at the teams failing time after time to stop them from exploiting this strength.

A strength, which, as we’ve addressed, there are four other teams statistically better than them at the very same thing. Yet it’s not their name living rent-free in so many people’s heads, is it?

The nail that sticks out gets hammered. At the top of the table, Arsenal are very much exposed and feeling the full brunt of scrutiny, and now Mikel Arteta needs to guide his players through the noise and onto the Premier League title.

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