Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal into a side who are highly effective from set-pieces
Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal into a side who are highly effective from set-pieces
Mikel Arteta says getting Tony Pulis’ stamp of approval is a “big compliment.”
Former Stoke City boss Pulis gained a reputation for bullying Arsenal back in the day when his team were the masters of set-pieces. Arsenal have now taken over their crown after scoring 22 goals from corners since the start of last season which is seven more than any other team.
Sky pundit Gary Neville claimed Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nico Jover was the “most annoying bloke in football” while Dimitar Berbatov compared Arsenal to a modern day Stoke after they scored from two corners against Manchester United last Wednesday. Pulis was far more complimentary by saying: “It’s an important part of the game. It’s taken them a while to work it out but it looks as though the penny has dropped.”
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Gunners boss Arteta said: “It is great as we are very good at a lot of things. We take it as a compliment and as a fuel to be better. I understood very well what Berbatov said. It was said in the best possible way. We take it as a big compliment because Stoke were so good.”
Arteta has worked wonders with the set-pieces but says he realised their value back in his playing days at Everton and has taken that knowledge with him to Manchester City and now Arsenal.
Arteta says he learned the value of set-pieces when he played for Everton
Arteta says he learned the value of set-pieces when he played for Everton
Arteta added “Probably when I was a player because I understood at Everton how important they were and how difficult it was for the opposition. When I came here as well we had a period in some big matches where we suffered and were out. I went to City and immediately realised we had to something about it.
“It was one of the evolutions the game was going to have and (we) try to always be ahead to maximise those opportunities.”
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