Matthijs de Ligt has been speaking about one of Arsenal’s most effective strategies, which has helped turn Mikel Arteta’s side into one of the strongest teams in the world.
The Gunners have become known for their threat from set-pieces, and other clubs are starting to take notice of how effective they have become in these situations.
It is a quality that has not gone unnoticed around the league, and it has played a part in their strong starts both domestically and in Europe.
De Ligt is the latest to comment on how sharp they have looked, especially when it comes to taking advantage of dead-ball opportunities.
Matthijs De Ligt praises Arsenal’s influence on Premier League set-piece tactics
De Ligt claims that Arsenal have sparked a set-piece trend in the Premier League, with many teams now trying to mirror their success.
The Gunners have scored more goals from set-pieces (10) than any other team in the league this season.
Much of that success has been down to Gabriel Magalhaes, who has become one of the league’s top threats from these situations. Not surprisingly, their effectiveness dipped a bit when he was out of the line-up.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the growing focus on set-pieces, De Ligt said: “It’s become more of a thing because people start to talk about it more. Obviously, it started with Arsenal, and everybody was saying, ‘Arsenal, they only score from set pieces,’ but everybody knows that they are also a really good team.
“So there comes more focus on it. I think every team now in the Premier League knows that set piece has become a major part of winning games.
“Everybody has to focus on that and I think in that aspect we improved a lot, so I’m happy with that.”
In the Premier League, United are only two goals shy of matching Arsenal’s total from dead-ball situations.
Arsenal go without a set-piece goal for first time this season in 2-0 win over Brentford
For the first time this season, Arsenal failed to register any expected goals from set-pieces. It happened in their match against Brentford last Wednesday.
While Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino both scored to secure the points, there was little impact from corners or free-kicks throughout the match.
Gabriel’s absence has been felt in these moments, with Jurrien Timber also missing from the starting XI.
The Gunners now have another concern as Declan Rice picked up an injury. He has been a key part of their set-piece plans this season, and his potential absence could be significant moving forward.
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