Arsenal have scored 22 goals from corners since the start of last season
But there are lessons Fulham can learn ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash
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By DANNY MURPHY
Published: 17:49 EST, 7 December 2024 | Updated: 18:02 EST, 7 December 2024
Set-pieces are fashionable again thanks to Arsenal but the reality is they’ve always been important.
You have to admire the delivery of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, but their success this season is also due to opposition defenders and goalkeepers not doing the basics.
If the Gunners were facing Nemanja Vidic and John Terry every week — players who had real desire to win that first header — and proactive goalkeepers like Peter Schmeichel, they would find it much harder.
Ahead of Sunday’s game at home to Arsenal, Fulham should study Manchester United’s midweek performance at the Emirates as how not to stop corners against the Gunners.
When the ball was in flight, United’s defenders were static, while Arsenal’s players were on the move, allowing them the jump to win the all-important first contact. Basic stuff.
It’s also important goalkeeper Bernd Leno has the presence and confidence to help his team out. United keeper Andre Onana has been good this season but he should have taken some of the Arsenal crosses when they were so close to him.
Jurrien Timber (No 12) heads in against Man United on Wednesday night - both of Arsenal's goals in the 2-0 victory came from corners as the away team struggled all night against set plays
Set-piece specialist coaches like Arsenal's Nicolas Jover (right) have become all the rage
It's important that Fulham keeper Bernd Leno has the presence and confidence to help his team out and claim corners when his side faces Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon
It’s a trend among many of today’s goalkeepers to stay on their line. Managers seem to consider it more important a keeper is good with his feet than commanding his box.
It’s wrong, and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has one of the best at taking pressure off his defenders in David Raya.
It would have been harder to score from set-pieces against some of the goalkeeping monsters like David Seaman and Schmeichel.
The best I worked with was Mark Schwarzer. He took responsibility and, if he came out to punch or catch, you wouldn’t be in his way for long. If we had a particular problem — Kevin Nolan would try and back into Schwarzer when we played Newcastle — we’d sort it out among ourselves. Clint Dempsey, who was as strong as an ox, would get between our keeper and Nolan.
But I don’t see many modern players finding solutions themselves. Special set-piece coaches are all the rage now, so I was glad to hear Sean Dyche and his staff are in charge of them at Everton. My view is existing coaches should be capable of producing innovative corner routines, otherwise what are they there for?
Phil Thompson led our set-piece work at Liverpool and we also had a say as free-kick takers: Steven Gerrard, Gary McAllister and Jamie Redknapp as well as myself. I don’t think Arsenal have reinvented the wheel but they have established a useful fear factor.
When David Beckham was about to whip in a corner when we played Manchester United, the natural reaction was, ‘Oh, crap!’ Yet we were helped out by having Sami Hyypia, who had real intent to make it his ball.
Arsenal deserve praise for their routines but opponents could make it harder and Leno could be the key man on Sunday.