Sunday, Arsenal won the clash of the 28th day of the Premier League against Chelsea (2-1). Thanks to this success, the Gunners regained a five-point lead in the standings over Manchester City. And once again, Mikel Arteta’s men built their victory on their formidable efficiency on set pieces (CPA). Indeed, the two goals scored by the Gunners were from corners. Enough to delight the Frenchman who is in charge of CPAs, Nicolas Jover. The man that the Canal+ cameras filmed more than Arteta during the Champions League semi-final second leg against PSG last season, every time Arsenal won a free kick or a corner. And for good reason. The one that the Spanish coach of the Gunners poached from Manchester City in 2021 is having a huge influence on the game of the current leader of the PL.
Nicolas Jover, roi des CPA
Arsenal scored from a corner for the 16th time this season, three times more than any other team in the Premier League. The London club has also equaled its mark established in 2023-2024 and it still has nine matches to play. And if we take all set pieces (corners + free kicks), Arsenal scored 21 goals, six goals more than their first pursuer in this exercise, Manchester United (15). For Jover, it’s the jackpot. In addition to the satisfaction of seeing his work pay off on match days, the Frenchman receives more money. The Athletic ensures that the 44-year-old Frenchman has a clause in his contract ensuring that he receives a bonus for each goal scored from a set piece. Arsenal is obviously not the only team to work on this aspect of the game, but the Gunners have become the symbol of this new fashion in the Premier League which gives pride of place to set pieces, to the detriment of creativity and play.
Except that some observers of English football are seriously starting to get fed up. Including the main actors! At the end of the lost match at the Emirates, the Blues defender, Reece James, released this disillusioned observation. “It’s disappointing to leave empty-handed. When the score was 1-1 in the second half, we had a half chance to lead 2-1, but their goalkeeper made a good save. They won a free kick at the other end of the field and managed to score. This is football in 2026. 90% of goals are scored from set pieces, and they (the Gunners, editor’s note) are probably one of the best teams in terms of goals scored and defending from set pieces. Arsenal are difficult to stop. They scored two goals today. I’m disappointed. » The Chelsea captain is not the only Premier League player to point out this CPA trend. While his Liverpool won against West Ham (5-2), scoring three goals from corners, Arne Slot confided that he was now bored watching the matches of the English championship, in particular because of the set pieces. The Dutch coach has tried not to focus too much on the Premier League he won last season, but he seems resigned to having to work on this aspect of the game more than usual to avoid being overtaken by the competition.
“Most of the matches I see in the Premier League are not very pleasant to watch”
“First of all, you have to accept it. I think that’s especially the case here in the Premier League. When I look at other leagues, I don’t think there is as much emphasis on set pieces. When I watch an Eredivisie match, I see goals disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers punished, and I say to myself: “wow, that makes a big difference. » Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in the face and the referee still says: “Continue”. Do I like it? My football heart doesn’t like that. If you ask me my opinion, when I think of football, I think of the Barcelona team of ten to fifteen years ago. Every Sunday evening we hoped they would play. Nowadays, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not very enjoyable to watch, but they are always interesting because they are very competitive, and that is what makes this league great, because there is a lot of competitiveness. Everyone can win against everyone. But as someone who likes to watch football without worrying about winning or losing, just for fun, I think there is a big difference between today and three or four years ago in the Premier League. Not only because of the set pieces, but also because the teams have become much stronger. But we are not going to change that. Maybe in five to ten years things will change again. What wouldn’t surprise me is if you go and watch an under-16 game anywhere, you see them completely focused on set pieces, and that’s the new reality. I have my opinion on this, but it doesn’t change anything. »
This beginning of disgust for CPAs also affects the media like the Telegraph. The English newspaper noted that 138 goals had been scored from corners this season in the Premier League, or 17.6% of all goals scored. A strong increase which does not really please the media. “Set pieces are scoring opportunities and must be exploited. It’s the way it happens that is so reductive, with the holds, the clashes, the blocks and the incredible amount of time it takes. It is also striking that this phenomenon is so widespread that referees have simply given up trying to control it. If this is football today and if this is the reality of the Premier League, then it must stop. Is this really how we want the game to play out, even if it can be effective? It’s all about control. This is not to criticize the use of specialist set-piece coaches, as it is a smart innovation. Rather, it is to criticize the importance given to them, because the work they do in training is easier to organize than getting a team to play open, attacking and therefore risky football, although that is certainly what we prefer to see. It is interesting to note that the use of set pieces, the invasion of the penalty area, not to mention the goal area, is significantly more widespread in the Premier League. The other European leagues worry much less about it, which is to their credit. » But by finally being very well placed to end a 22-year drought in the Premier League and announced among the big favorites for final victory in the Champions League, Arsenal certainly do not want this trend to stop.
Pub. the
– UPDATE
