Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton exposed a weakness few would have expected Mikel Arteta’s side to suffer from.
Set pieces.
The Gunners built much of last season’s title-winning campaign around dominance from dead-ball situations at both ends of the pitch.
Yet Brighton repeatedly caused problems from them at the Amex Stadium.
Chema Andrés eventually punished Arsenal by heading home from a corner to make it 3-0.
Reuters described Arsenal’s set-piece defending as unusually poor and suggested Brighton could have inflicted even more damage.
For one of the strongest set-piece teams in Europe, that should concern Arteta.
Arsenal’s biggest strength suddenly became a weakness
This was not simply a case of Arsenal conceding from one corner.
Their usual control inside their own penalty area disappeared.
Our Brighton 3-0 Arsenal match report showed how Fabian Hürzeler’s side repeatedly disrupted Arsenal physically.
That carried into dead-ball situations.
Arsenal normally thrive in those moments.
Our evergreen Arsenal set-pieces guide details just how significant that strength became during last season’s Premier League title triumph.
Arteta’s team scored 25 league goals from set plays excluding penalties.
They also scored a Premier League-record 19 goals from corners.
But the defensive numbers were arguably just as impressive.
Arsenal’s official analysis of their title-winning season shows they conceded only seven goals from set pieces across the entire league campaign, joint-best in the division.
Brighton therefore attacked an area Arsenal usually control.
And they won.
Chema Andrés goal summed up Arsenal’s problems
Brighton’s third goal provided the clearest evidence.
Andrés attacked a corner and headed beyond David Raya shortly after half-time.
It effectively ended the contest.
Our Arsenal player ratings against Brighton reflected just how uncomfortable the defensive unit looked throughout the afternoon.
Gabriel Magalhães was forced into a huge amount of defensive work.
Jurriën Timber endured a difficult return to the starting XI.
Ezri Konsa also struggled as Brighton repeatedly found ways into dangerous areas.
The collective organisation Arsenal usually rely upon was missing.
That matters because set-piece defending is rarely about one individual.
Communication, positioning, first contact and second balls all have to work together.
On Saturday, too many of those details failed at once.
Mikel Arteta already knows Arsenal standards dropped
Arteta did not attempt to hide from the performance.
As covered in our Mikel Arteta reaction following the Brighton defeat, the Arsenal manager criticised technical mistakes, lost duels and failures in some of the fundamental parts of the game.
Reuters also reported that Arteta felt Brighton competed at a higher level during the opening stages.
That is significant when assessing the set-piece failure.
Arsenal’s dominance under Nicolas Jover has always depended on more than clever routines.
It requires aggression.
Players must attack the first contact and react faster than opponents around loose balls.
Brighton consistently looked sharper.
International break gives Arsenal time to reset
There is no reason to believe Arsenal have suddenly lost one of their greatest strengths.
One poor afternoon does not erase an entire season of evidence.
It does, however, offer Arteta a clear warning.
Opponents know how dangerous Arsenal are from set pieces.
They will also study any sign that the Gunners can be vulnerable defending them.
Arsenal now have the international break before returning to Premier League action.
Arteta will have plenty to review.
For a team that built its title-winning identity around controlling the smallest details, Brighton exposed one area that simply cannot be allowed to become a trend.
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