Arsenal’s four-point lead on the prime of the Premier League desk has generated loads of debate about their taking part in model, however the Gunners aren’t those taking part in ‘anti-football’.
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Arsenal at present sit prime of the Premier League, having scored only one objective wanting probably the most within the division, however the workforce have confronted accusations this week that their model of play is ‘boring’ or ‘anti-football’.
The proof for this seems to be that Arsenal’s video games don’t usually contain end-to-end soccer, and the workforce are scoring a whole lot of set-pieces. But it’s value trying into precisely why that’s.
For a begin, Arsenal are merely higher than most groups at turning set-pieces into targets. Isaan Khan stories for the that Arsenal’s 10.4% nook conversion charge in 2025/26 is bettered solely by Chelsea (10.7%). Each are a great distance away from final season’s greatest charge (Crystal Palace, 6.4%).
Arsenal aren’t artificially boosting their set-piece numbers by taking so many, the Gunners are simply pretty much as good as anybody at ending the probabilities once they come.
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That’s to not say that Arsenal don’t get a whole lot of corners. Nobody within the Premier League will get extra per recreation than the 7.44 gained by facet.
However the purpose for that’s that ‘boring’ Arsenal have extra touches within the opposition penalty space than every other workforce within the division. With 320 touches in 9 matches, the workforce are 28 away from their nearest competitor.
When you may have the ball within the opposition penalty space greater than anybody else, it stands to purpose you win extra corners than anybody else. In contrast, solely Leeds United are conceding fewer corners per recreation than Arsenal, as a result of groups don’t get into the Gunners’ penalty space almost as usually.
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The straightforward truth is that groups don’t need the ball once they play Arsenal. The final time the Gunners had much less possession than an opponent was in August, 11 video games in the past. The final time Arsenal had fewer photographs than an opponent was on the opening day of the season.
Manchester Metropolis got here to the Emirates Stadium and recorded their lowest-ever possession determine of Pep Guardiola’s 600+ video games answerable for the workforce, taking simply 5 photographs to Arsenal’s 12.
was booked for time losing throughout that match, was booked for a similar with Newcastle United the next week. Arsenal haven’t had a participant booked for time losing within the Premier League because the opening day.
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Manchester United are the one workforce to have a higher share of possession of their recreation in opposition to Arsenal than their typical common. The opposite eight groups the Gunners have confronted within the league have all given up extra of the ball than they usually would, together with Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis.
But no workforce has had fewer touches of their defensive third than Arsenal this season, both in complete or as a share.
Groups aren’t watching Arteta’s facet play it round in their very own penalty space, they’re giving the Gunners possession and backing off so far as they will.
Opponents don’t outshoot Arsenal, they don’t have extra of the ball, they don’t attempt to get their facet up the pitch, they simply attempt to cease Arteta’s facet from scoring. Arsenal aren’t taking part in anti-football, however for the final couple of months just about each opponent has performed anti-football in opposition to them.
If Arsenal video games are boring you, take that up with the groups exerting all of their efforts to attempt to make it that approach.