Mikel Arteta dismissed Ruben Amorim's set-piece claims after Arsenal scored from two dead ball situations to beat Manchester United.
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Arsenal won 2-0 against Man UtdTimber & Saliba scored from set-piecesArteta claimed there is more to Arsenal's gameFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Jurrien Timber opened the scoring for Arsenal with a well-placed header from Bukayo Saka’s precise delivery just nine minutes into the second half. The home side doubled their advantage through William Saliba, who bundled the ball over the line after Thomas Partey redirected a corner across a crowded six-yard box.
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The victory extended Arsenal’s set-piece tally to 22 goals since the start of last season, making them the most prolific English team in this category. This led Amorim to suggest that Arsenal's wingers, Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, intentionally seek corners by targeting opposition full-backs while dragging them towards the flag.
WHAT ARTETA SAID
In response to Amorim’s remarks, Arteta rejected the notion that Arsenal’s game plan revolves only around manufacturing corners. Instead, he emphasized the team’s versatility in attack.
"Last year we scored the most goals in the history of this football club," the Spaniard said.
"Not because of only set pieces, [but] because of a lot of things that we have. We want to create individual and magic moments. A lot of players can create their own goals. We can create goals from short counters and long counters, slow build-ups, restarts and the opportunity to open up the opposition. Every single phase of play let's maximise it, keep working on it, keep improving."
He added: "No, we play with inverted wingers (in a direct response to Amorim). They develop a lot inside so there’s not a lot of space inside. When they leave there is a lot of space for the full-back or for the six, if not then for the nine, if not you can go outside. We need to look at every angle. What they do, where they can be weak and where we can exploit the weakness of the opposition."
DID YOU KNOW?
However, Arteta did underscore the importance of set-pieces as one of many tools in Arsenal’s tactical bank.
"We need that [threat]," he added. "I think we want to be very dangerous and very effective from every angle and every phase of play.
“Today we could have scored from open play like we did against West Ham and Sporting. The team really has that belief that from every angle we have the mentality to threaten the opponent and try to score. Today was two set pieces. We had 13 corners. We have to take a lot from that."
