Why don’t the rest of the clubs copy Arsenal?

 

 

By Tony Attwood

• Fulahm v Arsenal, tackles, fouls yellows
• Fulham v Arsenal. What on earth willl this referee do this time?
• Fulham v Arsenal: the metaphors might be failing, but Arsenal are on the up

There was an interesting article recently published on the New York Times website which noted how effective Arsenal corners are.  It is a story that has been replicated  in many places, but this one had the virtue of noting that in 13 matches since the start of last season Arsenal had got their first goal from an inswinging corner, and gone on to win 12 of those and draw one other.

The reaction of some clubs when this sort of story gets publicity is to try and copy the approach themselves, but of course it means having players who can deliver exactly the right sort of corner, and players who can stand in the centre and make use of the inswinging balls.   The reaction of others is to try and convince PGMO that running in the box and crowding of the area in front of the keeper is against the rules.  Of course it isn’t.

Watching some video replays however it is quite clear that the pushing and shoving that goes on in the box at such events is a two-way affair, and there are no rules being broken.  The players running in, as often as not, are decoy players who simply give Gabriel a chance to get his head on the ball.

Figures in the media show that something like 90% of the corners are inswingers but just to confuse the opposition who are ready for the classic delivery, a few corners are outswingers and one or two are even short.

As a result, we can often see eight defenders crowded into the six-yard box with four Arsenal players lurking outside, leaving at least two, sometimes three players around the penalty spot.

But the interesting thing is that this now famous technique does not come from the fact that Arsenal get more corners than anyone else.   In fact this season Tottenham Ho and ManC have each had 27% more corners than Arsenal, but as far as I can see have not developed statistics that are as effective as using the situation.  

Arsenal are averaging fractionally under seven corners a game the same as last season.    Manchester City and Tottenham are averaging just under nine corners a game, but are not making so much use of them. 

Arsenal’s number of corners has been rising year by year since 2020/21 but the key point is that year on year through Arteta’s reign the number of corners is going up and the way to use them is being improved.

For it should not be thought that there is an automatic link between corners and goals.  Chelsea for example are ninth in the league table of the number of corners gained, but have scored the most goals.  The point is not every club knows how to get goals from corners.

Nine of the top ten clubs for getting corners are also in the top ten for goals which is of course what we would expect – but simply getting a lot of corners is of course by itself not enough.

 

Club	Corners	Corner pos	Goals	Goals Pos	Lge Pos
Manchester C	123	1	25	6	4
Tottenham H	121	2	28	3	10
Arsenal	95	3	28	3	3
Fulham	88	4	21	10	6
Liverpool	87	5	29	2	1
Aston Villa	86	6	22	8	8
Bournemouth	85	7	21	10	9
Newcastle U	85	8	17	14	12
Chelsea	83	9	31	1	2
Brighton & HA	73	10	23	7	5

Of course other clubs will change their tactics to deal with Arsenal, and I am certain Arsenal are fully aware of that.  So what Arsenal will have is have a clear Plan B to be implemented if their corner technique can be nullified by opposition players.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are developing their players’ abilities.  Timber for example, never known previously for his willingness to head the ball, is now scoring headers.

This approach is also turning out to be very effective in countering zonal marking, for corners force zonal marking defences back into man-for-man marking.  Except when Arsenal have five players lurking outside the six-yard box on the far side from the side of the pitch where the corner is being taken.  If the defenders try and mark the lurkers, that leaves the goal undefended.   If they stay in front of the goal, that leads to a whole load of collisions as the ball comes in, and whether the referee gives a free kick to the defenders or a penalty to Arsenal is really a matter of chance.   PGMO are probably discussing this, and we’ll find out in due course.  

There is also the fact that different players can act in different ways in receiving the incoming corners, and if things are not going well for Arsenal, some substitutions can leave the opposition bewildered.  This is simply because the starting XI has to be declared one hour before the kick-off, and so defence coaches can then start telling their players how to behave and who to watch when Arsenal get a corner.

But that sudden change of personnel means such planning can be overturned after a couple of substitutions.  And this is a key factor in why clubs are not copying Arsenal immediately.  You need a range of players who can play in this way, not just to deliver the approach, but to vary it as defenders get used to the players they are playing against.   And it is this variability that is a key part of the winning approach.

So why don’t other clubs copy Arsenal?  Because the approach is complex and ever-changing.  Clubs need several players in key positions to make it work – and you can’t sort that in one or two transfer windows.