The current style of football that is being played in the Premier League right now is a big topic for discussion. It seems Arsenal have been bearing the brunt of that criticism.
With eight games left to play, the Gunners sit at the top of the table with a seven-point lead over Manchester City (who have a game in hand). Even on the precipice of a great triumph, that doesn't appear good enough for many.
Indeed, some claim that Mikel Arteta's men rely too much on set-pieces and the dark arts, as opposed to the free-flowing football seen under Arsene Wenger. After losing to Arsenal, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler recently said, 'I will never be the manager who tries to play that way."
Michael Owen was among those to defend the Gunners, noting: "Arsenal have played well for the vast majority of the season, and it’s the oldest saying in the football book, sometimes you’ve got to win playing ugly. Arsenal have done that as well this season and fair play to them. They find a way of winning."
Beyond just Arsenal, there is a wider discussion about modern football perhaps becoming a little 'boring'. Among those to voice that concern is a current Tottenham Hotspur player.
Mathys Tel Frustated By Premier League Set-Piece Obsession
Mathys Tel and Declan Rice
Spurs winger Mathys Tel has labelled Premier League football “boring to watch” due largely to the focus on set-pieces. In what could be perceived as a dig at Arsenal – who currently have scored more set-piece goals (22) than anyone else in the English top flight – the Frenchman said in an interview with streamer Zack Nani, as quoted by Maxifoot:
“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.
“There’s less spectacle. There’s no Vinicius pulling off a sombrero flick, no dribble, no Kylian [Mbappe] accelerating past you. Here, I’d say it’s more structured, maybe too much so.
“All those set-pieces, little details that can sometimes make the difference. But sometimes you think it might be too much.
“I told the assistant coach in charge of set-pieces, ‘Don’t put me on that one,’ because it’s a zoo.”
It's interesting that Tel admits he doesn't want to get involved in set-pieces because they've become like a 'zoo'. Spurs critics may suggest that the squad's lack of application to all parts of the game is why Tottenham currently sit just one point above the relegation zone.
As for Arsenal, they appear to have great respect for all aspects of football under Arteta. Not only do the Gunners lead the way for set-pieces scored, but they have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League so far (22). What's more, they are only the third club in Europe's top five leagues to have scored 100 goals in all competitions this season, with only Bayern Munich (128) and Barcelona (110) reaching that mark as well.
Bukayo Saka and Mikel Arteta Related
Arsenal Told Premier League Title Win Will Come With Asterisk Following Win Over Brighton
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot
Liverpool manager Arne Slot
In Tel's defence, however, he is not the only high-profile Premier League name to express dissatisfaction with the modern game. Liverpool boss Arne Slot also made similar comments earlier in March, saying: "First of all, you have to accept it. I think it’s mainly here in the Premier League.
"If I watch other leagues I don’t think there’s so much emphasis on set pieces. If I watch an Eredivisie game, I see goals being disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers being given and I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s a big difference.’
"Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in his face and the referee still says, ‘Just go on’. Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like it. If you ask me, thinking about football I think about the Barcelona team from 10 to 15 years ago. Every Sunday evening you were hoping they would play.
"Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not a joy to watch, but it’s always interesting because it’s so competitive and that is what makes this league great because there is so much competitiveness.
“Everyone can win against everyone. But just as someone who loves to watch football without being interested in winning or losing, just to be enjoyed, I think there’s a big difference between now and three or four years ago in the Premier League."
It's perhaps telling that both Tel's Spurs and Slot's Liverpool have underperformed expectations in this new environment of Premier League football this season.