Mikel Arteta: Arsenal manager not worried about drop-off in quality from open play despite set-piece prowess
Arsenal have gained recent criticism for not doing enough from open play amid a raft of set-piece goals; in their last two games, 75 per cent of the Gunners' xG total in those matches has come from corner kicks; Arteta used water bottles to explain why Arsenal are fine from open play
Wednesday 11 December 2024 18:32, UK
Mikel Arteta insists he is not worried about Arsenal's recent drop-off in form from open play.
The Gunners have become experts in set-pieces - with a Premier League-high 23 goals from corners since the start of last season - but in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Fulham, 75 per cent of their Expected Goals total came from corners.
Arsenal produced similar numbers in the 2-0 win over Manchester United last midweek, where both goals came from corners - leading to criticism that the Gunners are not producing enough away from set pieces.
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Arteta, however, claims that Arsenal's set-piece expertise comes from efficient open-play scenarios to create free-kicks and corners - and in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League game with Monaco, the Arsenal boss used two water bottles in a visual explanation.
"I don't worry because when I watched the [Fulham] game again, the situations we had in open play, what the opposition created in open play, I don't know if we can do much more than that. Especially when I watch Fulham and every opposition they have played.
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"And also because set-pieces are a consequence of what we do in open play and how we do defensively. And it's a phase that is part of you."
Arteta then picked up two water bottles and said: "You guys see it that: this [one bottle] is set-pieces and this [the other bottle] is open play. And I see it like [the first bottle] is open play and set-pieces. It's all together with every style of play.
"We want to create more from every angle. From set-pieces as well, we could have created more and should have scored another one or two [on Sunday]. We always try to evolve and be better."
The Gunners have created an Expected Goals (xG) tally of 9.0 from set-pieces which is the highest of the division - but rank 11th in the Premier League this season for xG from open play.
Is Tierney set for Arsenal run-out as defensive injuries worsen?
Arsenal have been dealt another injury scare at the back after Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber were not spotted in training on Tuesday.
Partey and Timber played as full-backs in the draw at Fulham with Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel and Oleksandr Zinchenko already on the sidelines.
"We have to manage a lot of the players, some of them are not going to be fit, some of them are still a doubt. We have 24 hours to make those decisions, hopefully the right ones."
Asked how difficult it is for Arsenal to play their best football given the number of defensive injuries, Arteta replied: "It is what is it. We have to accept the challenge and there's opportunities for other players to do that.
"In the ideal scenario, we have to be in charge of making those decisions, it is forcing us to make them for the wrong reasons. But as well, we need to accept the reality and move forward.
"I'm really happy the way we are playing. The good thing is it's not conditioning our team in such a way that we have to become a different team.
"I'm very pleased with that and the way it's adapting, people making the effort to play n different positions. Hopefully the ideal situation can come soon and we can do what we want."
The injury dilemma could give Kieran Tierney a rare Arsenal start after a long-term injury sustained at Euro 2024 with Scotland delayed his start to this season.
The left-back has not started for Arsenal since a 14-minute cameo at the Community Shield win over Manchester City in August of last year,
"Yeah he's ready, he's training really well," said Arteta.
"He's going to have an opportunity for sure, the way the team is looking at the moment. But he's earned it, he's behaved the way, the way he's been with us. When that happens, you have to give people opportunities."
