Rabat – The Premier League is facing criticism over being boring to watch, and top on frustrated watchers’ list of complaints is Arsenal’s playing style. As the London club turns to the dark art of parking the bus while hitting opponents on counterattacks or set pieces, Premier League fans have given them the unenvious nickname of “Set-piece FC.”
TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara called them the “worst team in the league for percentage of goals from open play,” mentioning the high number of goals they have scored off corners and dead balls as the main reason why they are boring to watch.
While topping the Premier League rankings, Arsenal have faced increased criticism following their 2-1 victory against Chelsea on March 1st, a game in which all three goals were scored from corners and overcrowding the box. This season the Gunners have already tied the Premier League record of goals scored off corners, with 16 and 21 of their 59 goals coming from set-pieces, including penalties.
The number of goals scored from set pieces this year (138) has already surpassed last year’s season total (135). In addition, 27.5% of their total goals scored this year have come from non-penalty set pieces.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has suggested that this change in playstyle and the increasing prominence of set-pieces have made Premier League games less enjoyable or exciting. “Most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch but it’s always interesting because it’s so competitive,” he said.
Brighton boss says ‘no clear rules anymore’
When questioned about why Arsenal set-pieces and corners have gotten so much attention lately, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: “There are no clear rules any more [around] how much time you can spend taking a corner or a throw-in.”
He added, “[We need] a clear rule on how much time you can take for a corner, a free-kick, because no-one recognises it. When Arsenal have a corner and they are leading, sometimes they spend over one minute just to take a corner.”
While averaging around the same delay time as the rest of the league in free-kicks, goal kicks and throw-ins, the Gunners’ have the highest delay time in the league for corners, averaging 44.4 seconds nearly 9 seconds longer than the league average of 36.1.
In his post-game press conference following his team’s 1-0 defeat against Arsenal, the Brighton manager raised the issue again.
“Did you [ever] see a Premier League game [where] a goalkeeper goes down three times?” he asked. “The Premier League has to make clearer rules, needs a limit, for time wasting, because they have to protect the referees.”
Hurzeler continued his rant, further slamming Arsenal: “Only one team tried to play football.” And he concluded that he would “Never be the kind of manager who tries to win it that way.”
Arsenal boss upset his team Does not score more set-pieces
Arsenal has defended themselves on their reliance on set-pieces to score, with their coach arguing that his team has statistically faced more low blocks than any other team in the premier league over the last three seasons.
While they sit at the top in number of goals scored off set-pieces, they also are a near top team in goals scored during open play in both the Premier and Championship Leagues.
And Arsenal is not the only team changing tactics across the Premier League, with more teams attempting to score off set-pieces. With nearly 80 games left to play across the Premier League, there have been more goals scored off set-pieces this year than the entirety of last season.
According to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, the tactics of the game are changing as teams are able to neutralize open-play situations more frequently.
“Teams are adapting, teams know after every sequence of play – whether it is a throw-in, a restart of play, an open-pitch situation – they know exactly what they have to do and everything is almost man-to-man,” Arteta has said.
He then doubled down on his tactics and playstyle, telling reporters: “I’m upset that we don’t score more [corners] and that we concede as well. We want to be the best and the most dominant team in every aspect of the game.”
More criticism has arisen after reports have come out that Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover receives a performance-based bonus for every goal the team scores from dead-ball situations. The Gunners’ dominance from set-pieces has made Jover extremely sought after. However, his current contract ties him to the London club until 2027, the same year Arteta’s contract expires.
The Gunners are currently 7 points ahead of Manchester City after their win against Brighton on Wednesday, putting them firmly atop the Premier League. With 8 matches left Arsenal is poised to win their first Premier League title in 22 years, cementing their new tactics as a force in modern football.