Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is hoping his side continue their fine record when it comes to defending corner kicks this season.
The Gunners claimed a major win on Saturday afternoon, beating Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park.
Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal proved to be the winner, offering a huge boost to Arsenal’s hopes of a top four finish.
Arteta’s side continue to grow and develop, with six wins in seven games leaving Arsenal in the box seat for Champions League football.
The foundation of this Arsenal side is a strong defence, which hasn’t really been the case for the Gunners in recent memory.
Big money has been spent rebuilding the defence in recent years, starting with Kieran Tierney arriving in 2019.
Gabriel Magalhaes followed in 2020, before Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu all arrived last summer.
Whilst Tomiyasu is out injured at the moment, the investment in this back line has proven to be brilliant work by Arsenal.
One interesting stat is that Arsenal haven’t conceded directly from a corner all season.
Gone are the days of looking frail and exposed from set pieces against the likes of Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion.
Instead, Arsenal now look solid and ready to battle, with the commanding nature of Ramsdale no doubt a major benefit.
Ramsdale missed out against Aston Villa but Bernd Leno took control of the penalty area well too, helping Arsenal keep a clean sheet.
After the game, Arteta was told about the continuing record of Arsenal not conceding from a corner.
Arteta will understandably be delighted with the defensive solidity, but is clearly worried that talking about it too much will result in the record ending.
‘Don’t talk about it!’ said Arteta, then knocking on wood just to try and not jinx Arsenal, as noted by Football London.
There is a real chance for Arsenal to go the whole season without conceding a goal from a corner, with just weeks of the campaign left.
Let’s just hope Arsenal haven’t been jinxed!
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