Sunday, 22nd September 2024 at the Etihad Stadium. Both Arsenal fans and the entire opposing chronic hate-watchers club were treated to a confirmatory spectacle of what it means to be threatening from corner kicks. Manchester City, coming into the game as favorites, were left stunned, holding on, wishing, and praying for KDB’s return and a draw. But how did Arteta’s boys become so fatally clinical at taking corner kicks? We dive in below.
Manchester City V Arsenal: First Leg
Both teams entered the first leg of their 2024/2025 Premier League season match unbeaten, each having played four games. Manchester City won all four, while Arsenal had three wins and a draw. Overall, Manchester City has enjoyed a stronger start this season, with Erling Haaland firing on all cylinders. Pre-match analysis pundits agreed on City being the favorites in what seemed like an easy win for Pep Guardiola’s team. After 90 minutes plus an additional 10, City fans were visibly gasping for air, glad to be alive after surviving a (2:2 draw) 10-man onslaught by the Gunners. Trossard was sent off in the first half after getting yellow carded a second time for a foul on Bernado Silva.
The Secret to Arsenal Corner Kicks Success
Mikel Arteta praises set-piece coach Nicolas Jover for Arsenal’s growing success in corners and free kicks. Arteta says Jover and his coaching staff have succeeded in establishing their players’ set-piece confidence. He was speaking after a 1-0 win over Spurs on Sunday 15th September. Mikel described Jover as the best at what he does.
The results are evident with Gabriel scoring Arsenal’s 2nd goal from a corner kick on Sunday, one of their 8 goals: this season. This also marked his second successive Premier League goal from a corner this season. He scored a similar goal previous week at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arsenal have scored 3 goals from set-pieces as of 9/22/2024 during the 24/25 EPL season.
A Typical Arsenal Corner Kick
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are Arsenal’s designated corner takers, occasionally alternating with Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard. This depends on the action wing and available players. The taker delivers a precise in-swinger into the penalty area, targeting Arsenal’s skilled aerial attackers.
Three strategic strikers, either Saka, Ødegaard, or Martinelli, remain outside the edge of the box. One of whom offers a short corner option or makes a decoy run to draw defenders out of their box.
About 5 strong aerial attackers position themselves inside the box, usually William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Ben White, a center forward (e.g., Trossard), and a central midfielder (e.g., Kai Havertz). Of the 5, one strategically positions to block the goalkeeper from easily getting to the in-swinging delivery.
Depending on the defending style they’re facing, the remaining 4 aerial attackers either bunch up or spread out into distant positions before the delivery.
This positioning makes it difficult for the opponents to block them from building momentum towards the direction of the ball inside the box.
The corner takers and attackers communicate through subtle signals, allowing them to create the moves in the correct sequence.
Under Nicolas Jover, the team has continued perfecting variations of this move and has become increasingly threatening at corner kicks and set-pieces.
They will definitely be tough opponents and a side to watch in the 2024/2025 season.
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