All 58 set-piece goals Arsenal have scored under Mikel Arteta

There’s been some horrifying sights on this planet of soccer over time. We’re speaking Arjen Robben slicing in on his left foot, Lionel Messi working at defenders, Rory Delap loading up a deadly lengthy throw and now the sight of Arsenal‘s Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice standing over a set piece.

The Premier League hasn’t been this frightened of such eventualities for the reason that days of Tony Pulis, and a few could argue that the one distinction between Mikel Arteta and the previous Stoke Metropolis boss is a pair of glasses and a hat.

The Spaniard, for all the comparisons in jest, deserves nice credit score alongside set-piece coach Nicolas Jover after turning into specialists in one thing that would lastly end in a Premier League title.

With that mentioned, we have taken a glance again at each objective that Arsenal have scored from a nook or free kick underneath Arteta since his arrival as supervisor.

2019/20: 2 targets

Arsenal save the set items for the highest six

Earlier than the times of the Pulis comparisons, Arteta’s Arsenal aspect had been solely starting to seek out their toes underneath their new boss in the course of an period to overlook in north London. However they nonetheless managed to hang-out their Premier League rivals from what all of us now know to be harmful set items within the 2019/20 marketing campaign.

Scoring their first underneath the Spaniard towards Chelsea, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was completely positioned to move residence on the top of Calum Chambers’ knockdown within the thirteenth minute of a recreation that finally noticed the Gunners finish on the mistaken aspect of defeat, courtesy of Jorginho and a late Tammy Abraham winner.

Their second and final of that season then got here towards one other top-six aspect within the type of Manchester United. Taking full benefit of David de Gea’s poor try and clear his strains from Nicolas Pepe’s nook, Sokratis Papastathopoulos thumped residence to set the Gunners on the right track for a 2-0 victory over the Pink Devils.

2020/21: 8 targets

Arsenal start to seek out their toes

Because the pandemic struck, Arsenal – although nonetheless struggling to seek out the best outcomes – started to indicate indicators that their power got here within the type of set items, scoring eight targets from these eventualities within the 2020/21 marketing campaign.

For a second season working, Chelsea as soon as once more struggled to deal with Arteta’s aspect from a dead-ball scenario, with Granit Xhaka following in Sokratis’ footsteps by scoring straight from a free kick on the Emirates Stadium.

This time in much more sensational style than the season prior, Xhaka stepped up from vary to seek out the highest nook of Edouard Mendy’s web to attain the Gunners’ first free kick of the marketing campaign. Notably, in the identical season, Gabriel Magalhaes discovered the again of the web on his Arsenal debut from a nook in what was an indication of issues to return.

2021/22: 11 targets

Gabriel turns into rising risk as Jover joins

If Gabriel’s debut objective was a warning, then his three set-piece targets all through the next marketing campaign ought to have acted as an enormous purple flag for the remainder of the Premier League, particularly after set-piece coach Jover arrived. The central defender greater than performed his half as Arsenal returned to the European locations, scoring 11 targets from set items while doing so.

This time round, it was Everton and Leicester who suffered probably the most, each conceding two from Arsenal corners, with the Foxes struggling the specter of Gabriel contained in the penalty space. In the meantime, the Toffees couldn’t deal with the Gunners’ set items on a scorching afternoon in Might, conceding twice in a single recreation courtesy of Eddie Nketiah and Cedric Soares.

In the meantime, the one free-kick objective that season got here courtesy of Martin Odegaard, who struck an excellent effort to seal a slender 1-0 victory over Burnley in the beginning of the season.

2022/23: 11 targets

Set-piece risk not sufficient to seal Arsenal silverware

Having discovered their toes underneath Arteta’s philosophy, Arsenal shortly discovered themselves in a Premier League title race. In a battle between the scholar and the grasp, Arteta at the very least laid down a marker that his aspect had been there to remain towards Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis aspect.

However regardless of matching their 11-goal tally from the season prior from set items, the Gunners nonetheless could not discover a strategy to dethrone the Residents.

In reality, nonetheless, this was not Arsenal on the peak of their set-piece powers. The truth is, it was the primary season through which they failed to attain extra targets from such eventualities than the earlier season as progress stalled for the 12 months.

Nonetheless, there have been nonetheless non-set-piece targets that got here because of Jover’s organised chaos, with a first-rate instance being Reiss Nelson’s iconic winner towards Bournemouth, which got here from the part of play following a late Odegaard nook.

As soon as once more, Gabriel made his mark inside the world, scoring 3 times, together with targets towards Fulham (twice) and fellow London rivals Chelsea.

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2023/24: 16 targets

Jover’s affect exhibits

Some can be fast to shoot down the scenes of Jover celebrating each time that Arsenal rating from a set piece, however the coach deserves credit score for his glorious work.

He has taken Arsenal from being a mean aspect from set performs into turning into probably the most harmful staff within the Premier League. And final season, it confirmed greater than ever for the primary time.

Scoring a formidable 16 targets from set items, Arsenal caught every of Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sheffield United twice in the identical recreation, with sides merely unable to deal with Jover and Arteta’s setup. By this level, it was after all no shock that Gabriel proved to be the most important risk, discovering the again of the web 5 instances in all competitions.

It wasn’t sufficient to win them the title but once more, however the Gunners stole the headlines a number of instances from set performs, maybe most notably when Declan Rice discovered the again of the web to safe a last-gasp victory over Manchester United.

2024/25: 10 targets (up to now)

Arsenal develop into set-piece kings

Often, when a staff concedes from a set piece, many consider that whoever is in command of that aspect can be left extremely disenchanted, as they’re typically seen as avoidable targets to concede.

Arsenal, nonetheless, have turned the avoidable into the inevitable up to now this season, scoring 10 targets from set items in all competitions. The Emirates watches on as if Saka or Rice are stepping as much as the penalty spot after they place the ball on the nook quadrant, elevate a hand up and ship an unstoppable supply.

On the right track to beat final season’s report of 16 targets from set items, it would not be an overstatement to counsel that the Gunners pose a larger risk from these eventualities than they do from open play, on condition that on the time of writing, they ranked 13th for expected goals from open play, and have recorded more xG per game from set pieces than some other Premier League aspect since 2017.

So, while Arsenal are undoubtedly the set-piece kings, they might but stay a way behind as they search to develop into the heirs to Manchester Metropolis and Guardiola’s throne.