Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are now firing on all cylinders thanks to their clinical set pieces, but the writing was literally on the wall.
Despite a mediocre start to the season, Arteta's Gunners now sit second in the Premier League and have been ahead of late, having won their last three games by a margin of three goals or more.
Part of the success has been down to their deadly set pieces, with defender Gabriel particularly effective from corners. The Brazilian has found the net four times so far this season, including a winner against Tottenham, a crucial header against Manchester City and the opener in their last league match against West Ham.
So fans won't be shocked to hear that a relevant slogan has been printed on the wall at the club's training ground. The set-piece-focused phrase is a testament to the tenacity and hard work that has gone into developing a diverse and victory-obsessed attacking front. Club legend David Seaman agrees this is now difficult to stop.
“It happens on the training field and a lot of time is spent on that. The permanent piece coach, Nico [Jover]“He's obviously very good, and the results show that,” the former goalkeeper said on his Seaman Says podcast, brought to you by Betway.
“There's a huge slogan on the wall – 'set pieces win games' – on the training pitch. And they show you that, the amount of preparation that goes into it.”
Gabriel, who also scored in the 5-1 defeat of Sporting CP in the Champions League, is not the only beneficiary of this multi-pronged attacking approach as Seaman believes it will benefit the entire squad.
“And it's not just about Gabriel,” he added. “It's about all the other blocks that continue. Watch as Timber stops the man standing near the post from getting in and going for it. Then there are players who go past the goalkeeper. Ben White was incredible at blocking the goalie last season.
“Watch [the opening goal against West Ham]Antonio finds himself in a group of players. He goes to the left, Gabriel goes the other way.
“He can't get near him because there are too many players in front of him. I've seen it when teams put a guy on Gabriel and he still gets away. He's a big guy, he's easily 6ft tall, and he's brilliant at it.
North London's clash with league leaders Liverpool in October also saw a decisive set-piece scored – Declan Rice's inch-perfect free-kick converted by Mikel Merino – and ex-England Matthew Upson, speaking alongside Seaman, believes this lead could give Arsenal a title advantage.
He said: “We are in a time where it is total football – play from the back at all costs. It's so difficult for goalkeepers. But the downside is that set pieces literally determine who wins the Premier League. It's such a big problem.
“I played for managers like Tony Pulis at Stoke, and our set pieces kept the lifeline. In the modern game people would step back and say 'look at Stoke and their regular coach'.
'Arsenal is doing it now. The belief that Gabriel has: every time the ball goes into the penalty area, he is sure he is going to score, and that strengthens that belief in the team. Now they are a super set-piece side.
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