Tottenham Hotspur’s Mathys Tel isn’t a fan of the current trend in the Premier League, giving more importance to set pieces. Arsenal and others have received criticism in recent months for relying heavily on set pieces.
The Tottenham player has been speaking to podcaster Zack Nani and Maxi Foot have relayed his comments.
Several Premier League sides have been relying heavily on set pieces to find the back of the net.
Arsenal have utilised it well and have scored 16 goals from corners alone this season. Spurs’ local rivals have equalled the record for most goals scored from corners in the Premier League and are in line to set a new record this season.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot recently said his “football heart doesn’t like” Premier League sides relying so much on set pieces.
Tottenham player agrees with Liverpool manager
Tel joins Slot to express his dissatisfaction with what’s happening, and it surely won’t help that local rivals Arsenal are having success from it.
“I’ll tell you the truth, yes, it’s not exciting. It’s boring to watch; it’s really just a clash between two teams with their own ideas,” he said.
“There’s less spectacle, there’s no Vinícius pulling off a sombrero, dribbling past you, no Kylian [Mbappé] accelerating past you. Here, I’d say it’s more structured, maybe too much so, with clear ideas, all the set pieces, little details that can sometimes make the difference. But sometimes you think it might be too much.”
Tel not interested in the tactic
Spurs have conceded 46 goals from 29 Premier League matches. Transfermarkt show 25 of them came in the second half.
The 20-year-old isn’t a fan of opposition players scrambling around the goalkeeper during corner kicks. The France U21 international even said he asked the Tottenham set piece coach not to task him with man-marking.
“I told the assistant coach in charge of set pieces: ‘Don’t put me on that marking job.’ Because it’s a zoo,” Tel expalined.
“We’re all bunched together, everyone’s pushing, knocking each other to the ground, holding onto each other. Forget it. The goalkeeper can no longer get out, he can no longer see.”
Mathys Tel
FRANKFURT, GERMANY – 17 APRIL, 2025: Mathys Tel – The UEFA Europa League football match between Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham Hotspur F.C. at Deutsche Bank Park.
Tel’s season at Tottenham so far
The attacker initially joined the English club on loan from Bayern Munich in February 2025. Last summer, Spurs made his stay permanent, and it hasn’t gone well for him so far.
Tel has played 976 from 27 matches in all competitions, scoring three goals. During the winter market, Sport Witness covered claims of the player’s desire to leave Tottenham.
However, he is still at the north London club and his situation hasn’t improved under Igor Tudor. Tel could probably push for a transfer to a club where he can enjoy regular playing time.
Meanwhile, Arsenal push towards winning the Premier League title.