02 Mar 2026 11:20:41
In today's Premier League set pieces are extremely important. While we Arsenal fans certainly have seen our team benefit from that, do we really want to see this type of football in the future?
For me the answer is no. I want to see open play being the more important source of goals. So how do we change that?
At this point we need to not look just at Arsenal but the league as a whole. We're not the only team emphasizing set pieces. I think the league needs to change first so that the football can get better.
I feel like the refereeing has a big impact on the kind of football we're seeing. Corners are just ridiculous because of the amount of wrestling that is allowed. Rice could have conceded a penalty for handball last night, but frankly the kind of hold he had on Hato should already have been enough to warrant one. But it has become standard to allow that kind of play sadly.
If you allow players to wrestle each other to the ground and you have a good corner taker who can consistently deliver the ball in a dangerous area, then of course you have a massive weapon at your disposal. But if you stop allowing players to hold each other, maybe it decreases the chaos and thus makes defending easier. Meaning teams have to start figuring how to actually play again.
The referees on the pitch become more clueless by the day. They are afraid to whistle because they fear they get the decision wrong. But not whistling is a decision in itself. VAR only intervenes if the mistake is clear and obvious (and even then they might miss it or get the decision wrong) . I for one can't believe that the financially biggest national league has one of the worst sets of referees. It's hurting the final product a lot more than is being talked about, at least in my opinion.
02 Mar 2026 12:52:40
Hi Ice, mate. I totally agree with you on the set pieces. I just held back on raising it because this year (after 3 consecutive runners up) we have to win the league, however it comes. We have an overreliance on set pieces, and it feels like we play for them and sacrifice fluidity, so it will get boring in a year or two.
During Wenger days we played beautiful football but could not defend and get results, and we used to cry when teams like Stoke bullied us with our current tactics. So I will enjoy the results this season and hopefully celebrate the championship, and worry about the tactics for next season.
02 Mar 2026 12:40:38
I've been scrolling round the other sites and the consensus is the same Ice.
Not only is it ridiculous but the keepers are so boxed in, especially shorter keepers like Raya. I think he has been a warrior this season. if this sort of bundling was in open play it would be penalised.
I know we have become experts at set pieces but surely this doesn't have to mean it always ends up with practically the whole of both teams in the box?
Perhaps its time to move on from this tactic and dream up something equally as successful to catch other teams on the hop?
02 Mar 2026 14:27:42
Good points from both of you. I will certainly enjoy it immensely if we win the league, no matter the style. But, at the same time, I hope that in the future more is done to de-emphasize set pieces in general.
I don't blame us for exploiting tactics that the referees allow. They just need to stop allowing that and maybe then the league as a whole will change to a more entertaining one.