No team has scored more set-piece goals than Arsenal in the Premier League this season. No team has conceded fewer set-piece goals than Tottenham Hotspur this season.
The ‘set-piece derby’ is here. Expect ‘set-piece again, ole, ole!’ to be sung at the Emirates this Sunday in the north London derby. But from the home or away section?
MORE — Premier League table
Arsenal have scored the most goals from corners (8) and Spurs have scored the second most (6) this season, while these rivals also lead the Premier League in headed goals with seven and six respectively and Arsenal have had a league-leading 75 corners,with Spurs attempting 67.
As we will see in an intriguing north London derby, set pieces are hugely important to both Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank and both are leaning heavily on them to achieve their respective goals of trophies and a top four finish this season.
This huge north London derby is going to be decided by the small margins. Just the way both Arteta and Frank like it. The Spiderman meme is apt.
Arsenal’s incredible set-piece dominance won’t scare Frank
Set pieces have become so important to Arsenal in recent seasons as they’ve dominated the Premier League in terms of creating chances, and scoring, from corners, long throws and free kicks. Nobody is close to them. No Premier League team has scored a higher percentage of their goals (50 percent) from set-pieces this season than Arsenal and four of their last six goals against Spurs have come from corners. Even if their main menace when attacking set pieces, Gabriel, is out injured for Sunday’s clash, Arsenal’s entire team will continue to cause chaos and smell blood when a ball is flung in.
If there’s one manager who won’t be intimidated by Arsenal’s set-piece expertise it’s Frank. The Dane brought set-pieces back into fashion in a big way during his hugely successful spell at Brentford, but Arteta and Arsenal have made set-pieces sexy again. Set-piece coaches like Arsenal’s Nicolas Jover are now revered across the game. It surely won’t be long until they have their own technical area on the sidelines to dictate the increasingly important moments which so often decide games.
Even if Frank’s first few months at Spurs haven’t seen his side score as many from set-pieces as he would like (they’re still ranked fifth in the PL in terms of goals scored) his Spurs side have the best record when it comes to defending set-pieces this season as they’ve conceded just twice. That is a huge improvement on last season and Frank’s pragmatism is a big reason he was hired.
Frank is the best head coach in the Premier League at prioritizing marginal gains, especially from set pieces, and he has always made it a huge focus. Look at what he did with Brentford. He closed the clear huge financial gap holding them back by focusing heavily on these situations and the rest of the Premier League took notice.
Hope for away-day specialists Spurs?
And there is plenty of optimism for Spurs despite their awful record in this recent fixture. Yes, Arsenal have won five of their last six league games against Spurs, with Spurs winning just one of their last 32 Premier League away trips to Arsenal, but Spurs go into this game as the away-day specialists in the Premier League.
This season they have the best away record in the Premier League with 13 points won from a possible 15 and they’ve scored the most (12) and conceded the fewest (3) on their travels.
But history has taught Spurs fans to be more cautious against Arsenal than any other opponent. Not just because it’s their biggest rival but because they’ve dropped more points (48) from winning positions against Arsenal than any team in Premier League history has done against a single opponent.
However many times the lead changes or whatever the result is on Sunday, it’s a very safe bet that a set-piece goal will be pivotal in this version of the north London derby.
About the Author
