Arsenal’s remarkable success from set-pieces has drawn comparisons to the dominant Stoke City team under Tony Pulis, with pundits lauding their corner routines as “impossible to defend” and “perfection.” In their 2-0 victory over Manchester United, Arsenal’s set-piece strength was once again on display, leading to both goals and several additional chances. Manager Mikel Arteta expressed his desire for opponents to continue struggling with Arsenal’s set-piece tactics, which have become a signature of the team.
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Arsenal has scored 22 goals from corners, more than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues, with Bayer Leverkusen in second at 17. In total, Arsenal has netted 30 goals from all set pieces (excluding penalties), accounting for over a quarter of their 119 league goals during this period. Key contributors like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have been instrumental in this success, each recording seven assists from set-plays. Arsenal’s corner delivery has been particularly effective against zonal marking, with their ability to attack the spaces between zonal markers causing significant problems for defenders. This tactic is reminiscent of Pulis’s Stoke City, where set-pieces accounted for 43.1% of their total Premier League goals.
Former Stoke manager Tony Pulis, often seen as a trailblazer in set-piece tactics, remarked that teams are now adopting similar strategies, with set-piece coaches becoming more common across the Premier League. Pulis praised Arsenal’s corner kicks, particularly against zonal marking, highlighting the effectiveness of attacking spaces in between defenders. Other pundits, including Dimitar Berbatov and Roberto Martinez, jokingly acknowledged Arsenal’s resemblance to Stoke City but praised the Gunners’ quality and consistency in set-piece delivery.
Arsenal’s set-piece success is built on precision and variety. The team’s ability to change the delivery from front-post to back-post, and their use of blocks and movement around the goalkeeper, makes defending against them extremely challenging. As former Arsenal players like Martin Keown and Micah Richards noted, the team’s creativity and execution have made them “corner kings,” with few teams able to replicate their success.
