Arsenal capitalise on Arteta’s belief in set-piece specialism – unlike Spurs | Jonathan Wilson
Set plays are giving Gunners an edge, yet Ange Postecoglou’s weak spot is not singling them out for specialist coaching
Ange Postecoglou isn’t worried about set pieces, as he has made clear repeatedly over the past few weeks. Football being football, the more he is asked and the more he plays down their importance, the more goals Spurs seem to concede from set pieces. At the same time, as Arsenal score more and more from set pieces, their set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, has become an increasingly prominent figure, bouncing up from the bench every time Arsenal are awarded a corner or free-kick near the box.
Set pieces feel like the new frontier. It may look familiar as Declan Rice bends one in, Ben White checks the keeper and a phalanx of big blokes charge to the near post, but the blocking runs are more carefully plotted that ever before.
