Morning all. Wherever you’re, I hope you’re doing effectively as we speak. I’m positive you understand I hope that on daily basis, however typically it’s value saying it out loud.
I touched on this yesterday a bit within the recap of the 2-0 win over Man Utd, however I discover the entire debate/dialogue/furore round Arsenal scoring from set-pieces completely hilarious and interesting in equal measure. As followers of this membership, we now have skilled issues which form our view of Arsenal itself, of soccer, the sport, and what occurs in it.
Simply return to final weekend once we have been ripping West Ham to shreds on the London Stadium. We have been 4-0 up, enjoying brilliantly and, to all intents and functions, the sport was gained. Then, soccer being soccer, they scored a few objectives in fast succession and I don’t suppose there was a single Gooner on the planet (who was sufficiently old for this to be related) who didn’t instantly consider that 4-4 draw at Newcastle all these years in the past.
If you happen to recall objectives from Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and Robin van Persie (2) placing us 4-0 up by the twenty sixth minute, you additionally keep in mind conceding 4 within the second half after we went right down to 10 males – together with two scored by Joey Barton of all folks. That sport occurred on February fifth 2011, practically 14 years in the past now, and but when West Ham scored twice, I had flashbacks. Put them in a Vietnam battle film they usually’d be dismissed as hackneyed and too clichéd, however they have been actual!
Equally, I keep in mind video games towards groups like Stoke and Bolton (however notably the Tony Pulis period Stoke), the place a nook or a throw-in or free kick anyplace on the pitch the place it may very well be lumped into our field gave me the heebie-jeebies. We have been a small group again then, technical however actually missing physicality and stature, and the opposition gave the impression to be crammed with giants who may very well be NBA gamers.
So, the ball would are available in, we had goalkeepers whose method to coping with these deliveries was to look completely stricken, say a fast decade of the rosary, then both keep rooted to their line or come steaming out – eyes closed – hoping for one of the best. The defenders by no means appeared as comfy as you would possibly like; our assortment of 5’8 midfielders did their finest however have been out-muscled typically; and every set-piece was a chest-tightening, stomach-flipping, nerve-wracking, arse-clenching nightmare. I didn’t take care of it in any respect.
As for what we may do up the opposite finish, I may be confirmed flawed by somebody who can dig up the stats, however we by no means felt notably threatening. The one participant I can recall scoring with any frequency from set-pieces was Laurent Koscielny. I do know there should have been extra, and we needed to have scored just a few objectives each season from corners and free-kicks, however you by no means felt like we had any constant menace.
Which is why I’m so having fun with what we will do now. If anybody on the market desires to dismiss it as industrial or boring or anti-football, be my visitor. The objectives we rating from set-pieces are value simply as a lot as a brilliantly labored transfer (like Leandro Trossard’s purpose towards West Ham, for instance), or a rocket of a shot into the highest nook (like Riccardo Calafiori’s towards Man Metropolis). If opposition followers suppose set-piece objectives are too good for them to fret about, then that’s wonderful by me.
I think that’s not going to be a view shared by any critical supervisor or head coach for for much longer although. You’ll be able to’t ignore what Arsenal are doing. Definitely not if you’re enjoying us, as a result of we’ll check you and your defence to absolutely the restrict; and never when you concentrate on how one can win video games towards everyone else.
There’s a critical level to be made although. Right here’s Mikel Arteta talking about set-pieces in September 2020:
It’s a key share of objectives scored and conceded that has an excellent impression on outcomes and factors on the finish of the season. So it’s one other facet of the sport that it’s a must to dominate.
This was simply after hiring Andreas Georgson from Brentford as our set-piece coach. In July 2021, after the Swede left for a job with Malmo, Arteta raided Man Metropolis and introduced in Nicolas Jover – who he himself had employed/really helpful whereas working as an assistant to Pep Guardiola. To say the job he has performed has been firstclass might be an understatement, the fruits of that are apparent to everybody once we see one other purpose go behind the online and the depressing, downcast faces of the opposition who knew what we needed to do however simply couldn’t cease it. That’s demoralising.
The important thing level for me although is that this: regardless of all one of the best preparation, organisation, coaching, planning and every thing else, there might be days when your group simply doesn’t fairly click on. It occurs, it’s simply a kind of issues in soccer. We’ve all been there, you have a look at the group and suppose we may play until midnight and never rating from open play. Nevertheless, when you have the sort of menace we possess from set-pieces, there’s a side of the sport that’s sort of distinct from every thing else.
So on a day when it doesn’t click on, once we can’t discover our rhythm for no matter cause, we nonetheless have a method to win. It gained’t occur each time, however it’s a sort of security internet for when efficiency ranges usually are not the place we want them to be. It’s, as Arteta typically says, maximising each facet of the sport to offer your self one of the best likelihood of profitable.
To me that’s not industrial or boring or no matter time period you wish to use to try to dismiss Arsenal’s high quality from corners and free kicks – it’s frequent sense. And lengthy could that proceed in a world the place that appears to be too typically in brief provide lately.
Proper, I’ll go away it there for now. The Arsecast is under in case you haven’t had an opportunity to hear, and if you need extra on your ears, we’ll have a double serving to over on Patreon as we speak. First, we’ll look again in any respect the midweek Premier League motion in The 30, earlier than we do our Fulham preview podcast later within the afternoon. To join on the spot entry for simply $6 per thirty days, go to patreon.com/arseblog.
Have an excellent Friday of us.
