Arsenal have received praise for their set-piece proficiency this season, an aspect of their game that has played a key role in their pursuit of silverware. The Gunners have excelled from free kicks and corners, largely due to the work of Nicolas Jover, their set-piece manager. Jover has gained recognition for his expertise in this area, and he is expected to continue contributing significantly to Arsenal’s attacking efficiency.
Set-piece mastery and tactical impact
While some rivals have criticised Arsenal for relying on set pieces in certain matches, the margins for success in the Premier League are extremely fine, and these routines have helped the team maintain an edge over opponents. The ability to convert dead-ball situations into goals has become a crucial component of their tactical approach, demonstrating how attention to detail can yield tangible rewards over the course of a campaign. Arsenal’s commitment to this aspect of the game reflects a broader understanding that small advantages can often be decisive.
Despite the criticism, the club has shown no intention of altering its strategy. Jover will continue to oversee set-piece routines, ensuring that Arsenal maximise their scoring opportunities. The team is also planning to expand their coaching staff to further enhance this strength. According to Daily Star, Arsenal are set to add former Liverpool coach Thomas Gronnemark as a throw-in specialist. Gronnemark has previously worked with the Reds and several other clubs, and he holds the record for the longest throw-in, a skill that can create additional attacking options and contribute to goal-scoring opportunities.
Strategic additions to the coaching staff
The inclusion of Gronnemark highlights Arsenal’s focus on exploiting all possible advantages, no matter how marginal. By combining innovative coaching with meticulous preparation, the club aims to ensure that set pieces continue to influence matches in their favour. This approach underscores the team’s ambition to optimise every element of performance and maintain a competitive edge in their bid for trophies. Arsenal’s proactive recruitment of specialist staff reflects a commitment to maximising efficiency and exploiting opportunities that can make a decisive difference over the course of the season.
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Competition in the Prem is so intense that you have to look for marginal gains wherever you can find them. If it gives you even extra 3 points over the course of 38 games, then it’s worth it,considering we’ve lost the title by a mere 2 points.
There’s a narrative that Arsenal has made the league worse because of set pieces. But I tend to think it is the league that has made us go the set piece route. We face teams that put 11 men behind the ball every week.
The crowded opposition boxes make it difficult to score from open play. It’s like trying to walk through a thick forest without any paths. Everywhere in front of you is a barrier.
They become compact and don’t allow you into their box. But a set piece puts you right in their box so we must exploit that route.
If teams actually tried to go toe to toe with us, I’m sure we’d play free flowing football because of the spaces they’ll leave.
If this report is true, Tony Pulis will be looking on and loving it.
It doesn’t matter to me, whichever way we gets over the line, the drought must be broken by whatever means possible .
Gunsmoke, it seems true enough. He’s a long throw specialist, but hopefully there’s a bit more to him than that. Jover will be working with him, presumably on our defense of long throws.
Throw-ins seem to be a pretty much neglected part of our training. Rice has developed a decent long one, and when we get one in the final third and White or Timber take good receiving positions on the goal line. Other than that, nobody seems to know what to do or who to throw to, which isn’t helped by receiving players being unavailable.
Am in agreement, the Spaniard is extremely meticulous
Oh my word, sorry but this is a stretch to far for me. Yes I won’t complain if we start scoring, but come on, Really!.
What’s next, A Kick-off specialist.🤦♂️👍
DEREK, it’s something I’ve very much always assumed was Jover’s job, even though (apart from a couple of areas) we’re still quite poor at it.
Bit of fine-tuning.
Re the kick-off specialist. It might be a good idea to change from whacking the ball upfield.
Jax,
Kick-off specialists! We mustn’t give the club new ideas. 🤦♂️😂👍
Ben white really needs to stay far away from taking our throw-ins,even Hincapie has recently developed that bad attitude.i hope the new throw-in coach will become mindful of this their defecieny and do the needful
I’m wondering how much these coaches are paid 🙂.
£350K per annum? I’d do it myself for half that.
Cornell,
I hear their throwing money at him. 😂👍
I think there are more pressing needs than employing a throw-in specialist. Perhaps someone to develop our young midfielders getting them ready for next year? Nwaneri seems to have stalled, MLS looks rusty and has regressed, and Dowman still injured.
Perhaps an attacking minded coach to help our attack, especially facing low blocks? Wouldn’t that be better than a throw-in specialist?
We are going backwards to the 1980’s with the physicality, backwards to the 1-0 score lines, backwards to attacking and looking for corner kicks rather than fluidity and goals.
Too much about managerial chess matches than flair and creativity on the pitch in my opinion. People pay to see Halaand battle with Saliba and Gabriel, pay to see players fighting it out on the pitch, not Pep parking the bus, or a manager bragging about 70% possession, but only 2 shots on goal and none on target.
IMHO flair and creativity are suffering at the expense of set pieces and throw ins being the new thing. Jose’ and Pullis must be sitting somewhere saying “I told you so, I was right.”
God help The Arsenal if it’s ever compared to Pullis and his idea of playing football!!
I’ve never understood why throw ins are considered as an advantage to the side that is awarded one, as that leaves them a player down on the pitch itself.
Also, the antiquated rule that says how throw in has to be taken.
Surely a free kick should be awarded, as it is in every other situation when the ball goes out of play?
Arsene Wenger was thought to be looking at this situation, along with the offside rules, but a throw in specialist?
I’ll bite my tongue and await the outcome.
Durand, TBH, I’m sure this isn’t a highly paid position, and there must at least be some benefit, and lets be honest, our throw-ins could do with some work. I get the impression that it’s not a long term deal, as he seems to move around clubs quite often.
Arteta’s innovations never stop until silverwares are won. Travelling players to and from stadiums in a team bus instead of private vehicles may have helped to boost the camaraderie.
Very thorough I will admit. Maximizing every gimmick and trick available, let’s regress to the most basic and fundamental parts of the game, rather than how to take advantage of low blocks, or finding ways to make individual talent and free-flowing football more efficient.
Look, it’s Arteta’s team to manage, and he will do so regardless of what fans think. However, don’t try and convince me this is a tweak that will help us overcome 3 second place finishes and finally reach the top of the PL mountain.
If anyone is saying that a throw-in specialist is the key to winning a title over tweaking a stale and predictable attack to make it more efficient, sorry but not buying that.
Improving throw-ins rather than making better selections or subs? tweaking your tactics in the second half? No need, just rely on better throw-ins.
It has become so gimmicky that it is becoming humorous. Waiting to hear how that throw-in specialist has helped to improve Liverpool’s situation about sloppy defending, and how improving throw-ins is helping them close the gap.
Durand,
I find myself agreeing with a fair few of you’re very well thought out and excellent post’s. 👍
Derek, He seems a very bitter Gooner to me😟
Derek,
It’s just that I believe there are more pressing problems, or other areas to improve before throw-ins. Of all things to improve, this was the decision? IMO, how about these before throw-in coach
1. Evolving our predictable attack; still through Saka on the right most of the time.
2. Offensive coach; on our 5th striker and not a consistent threat yet
3. Offensive coach to help break down low blocks, or speed up our possession focused tactics.
4. Coach to focus on the “tweens,” (in-betweens) MLS, Dowman, Nwaneri, Salmon. Too good for U-18, but not good enough for first team yet.
I thought it was trolling when I first saw the news. It’s not bitter, just unpleasant surprise.
Durand,
Again a lot of what you say makes sense. I don’t think you’re bitter at all.
I to would look at some of our other issues.
Durand,
Can I ask if you don’t think that someone on the extensive staff below Arteta isn’t part of a plan of action similar to what you are describing? It may not be working in your opinion, but I doubt that it’s not being worked on
SueP
Fair question to ask, thank you for asking for clarity and explanation first, before anything else.
My honest honest answer Sue is, I don’t know. If there is, he needs to do a better job.
MLS has regressed, (though lacking the playing time and games like last year surely hurts), Nwanarei has stalled; have not seen much improvement, at least Arteta doesn’t think so, that’s why he doesn’t play much.
Salmon looks legit when he plays, but I would rather see a focus here than a throw-in coach.
Just my opinion, but surprised that throw-ins are of enough concern to hire someone. Striker coach more relevant, finishing specialist, etc…
I don’t think having another coach to assist on a short term basis with throw ins is that outrageous. A well thought out and well executed throw in is better than watching White et al take forever to find someone to receive it.
Sue, it will also help with our coaching of defending long (and short) throws.
Exactly Jax
I just don’t see any harm in ‘coaching’ the players in this part of the game. All clubs will employ as many methods as possible to improve outcomes. My husband knows someone whose son was or still is Liverpool’s knee person. The sheer amount of money at stake these days makes the fine details necessary.
In all honesty, I think we’re the worst of the top six clubs when it comes to throw ins.
I could write a book waiting for the likes of White etc to take a, normally, unrewarding throw.
I take Durand’s points on board, but this should only take a matter of days to sort out surely?!
Ken1945,
Maybe White has the Football version of the yips. You know like some Dart players that can’t let go of the Darts. 😂👍
If he was good enough to work for Klopp at Liverpool for 5 years then I would say he’s good enough to work for us.