The Premier League leaders have scored 21 goals from set-pieces this season – numbers that see the Gunners top the table from that perspective too – and Arteta insisted that he was ‘upset’ that his team conceded from a corner themselves when Piero Hincapie flicked a header into his own net during the 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
“As an opponent, you get upset when you concede a goal. I was really upset when we conceded the goal against Chelsea,” Arteta said, speaking at his press conference ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Brighton.
Arsenal have been criticised by several high-profile figures in the widespread media landscape for being ‘boring’ at times this season – largely due to the Gunners’ reliance on set-pieces to score goals.
In response to a question about whether Arsenal were setting the tone for others to follow suit in their reluctance to score more from open play, Arteta said: “There are phases, and there are moments where a team has an opportunity to do certain things, and the game is evolving, and the game is becoming more and more difficult (to score goals). Before, when you used to do gameplan, you would invert a full-back or bring an extra player into midfield or false-nine.
“Now, teams are adapting. Teams know after every sequence of play, whether it is a throw-in or a restart of play, exactly what they have to do. Almost everything is man-to-man. So, it’s becoming a different game unless we change the rules.”
Arteta said that he doesn’t value one type of goal more than another, but is happy to take any external criticism if it means his team are successful.
“I don’t know how you celebrate one goal different to another one. Maybe for YouTube, one is nicer than the other, I don’t know. I would like to play with three players extra in my own half to get some beautiful football and play with a free man - this is not the reality of football,” said the Arsenal boss.
“If you want to watch that football, you have to go to a different country, because in the Premier League for the last two or three seasons, this is not the case. Four years ago, it was a different game,” Arteta bullishly added.
The Arsenal manager also provided some fitness updates ahead of the trip to Brighton, but the condition of Kai Havertz remains a concern to those at the club.
"Kai has done a part of the sessions, so we will have to wait and see whether he is available and in which condition,” Arteta revealed.
“Martin is the other one. We will see. Ben (White) is not available.”
Arteta said that both David Raya and Max Dowman are available for selection for the game against Brighton but was typically coy on whether either Odegaard or Havertz would make it.
Arsenal head to the Amex Stadium with a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League having played a game more.