Arsenal have often been accused of lacking creativity from open play and relying too heavily on set pieces to score goals. This narrative has gained traction in recent months, despite the quality available to Mikel Arteta and the attacking talent at his disposal. With such a technically gifted squad, questions have been raised about whether this criticism is truly justified.
Arteta’s team contains some of the finest attacking players in Europe, strengthened further by additions made over the last few months. On paper, Arsenal possess a forward line capable of breaking down any defence through movement, passing, and individual quality. That is why many supporters and neutral observers have been puzzled by claims that the Gunners show little interest in scoring from open play.
Arsenal remain focused on winning matches by any means necessary and are firmly committed to ending the current season with silverware. However, the debate around their attacking approach continues, prompting closer examination of the numbers behind their goals.
Breaking down Arsenal goals in 2025
The question of how much Arsenal truly rely on set pieces can be answered by looking at their output across the calendar year. In 2025, Arsenal were once again close contenders for the league title, narrowly missing out while maintaining a high scoring rate across competitions.
According to Arsenal Media, the breakdown of their goals during 2025 paints a very clear picture. Of the 114 goals scored by the Gunners during the year, only 26 came from corners and free kicks. While set pieces remain an important weapon, they account for a relatively small proportion of the total output.
Open play numbers challenge the narrative
The most striking figure is Arsenal’s productivity from open play. Arteta’s side scored 81 goals from open play during 2025, representing almost 80 percent of their total goals for the year. That level of output places them firmly among the most effective attacking teams in Europe when the ball is in motion.
These numbers significantly undermine the idea that Arsenal depend primarily on dead-ball situations. Instead, they highlight a team that consistently creates and converts chances through structured attacking play.
With eyes now firmly on success in 2026, Arsenal will be eager to continue refining their approach. Based on the evidence from 2025, the claim that they avoid scoring from open play appears increasingly difficult to support.
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No but we need to score more, but by consistently creating high quality opportunities is a sustainable process, and eventually statically variance and improved execution will lead to more goals.
I keep telling a certain fan , finishing second also shows consistent performance and proximity to success, which has built a strong foundation for future campaigns.
It is this belief, once Arsenal win the first big ears mug several will follow, some analysts pushes the envelope by predicting an era of Arsenal domination
Maybe most open play goals Arsenal players scored were against lesser teams and set pieces goals v top ten teams.
The metrics should be minutes to possession to goals. Only then we will see how much attacking threat we actually have. We all watched Arsenal and more times than ever, we succumbed to slow sideways passing with lack of penetration. Partly why every set piece goal became super noticeable.
Arteta’s only one tactics of starting Saka( or another left footer) on the right is our biggest problem. If you check statistics, he only won Manchester City on one of those ten outings against them in that formation. Liverpool is also one or two wins with a left footer on the right, in so msny outings against them. IN ALL THESE, OUR STRIKERS HARDLY SCORE AGAINST TOP SIDES.
However, on just two occassions he started a right footer, on the right of attack and a left footer in the attacking midfield position against the same Man City that is our biggest opponents, we won all the two games and even scored five goals in the win last season, meaning the squad score against big oppositions with that formation but Arteta never like to play that formation..
Saka or any other left footer on the right is only good against average teams. We struggle to score goals against big clubs with that formation. That is one of the things affecting Gyokeres. Aubameyang suffered it too.
If set piece goals can deliver a trophy, then we must score more
Arsenal’s strength this season has been set pieces and defense. Look at their set piece goals this season, in most cases opponents should be doing better, for example penalty against Everton, Martinez against Villa, 3 own goals, etc. Now this tells me one thing Arsenal are creating panic with their set pieces. Arsenal have struggled to cut open many defenses this season, set pieces have been their best option to score mostly.
I’m not bothered by a goal coming from set pieces. I looked at our GD of +25. City have +26 and Chelsea are next with +11. The fact that there’s a perception that we rely too much on them only shows that we were in an advanced position to score in the first place – whether from open play or not. Corners, throw ins, free kicks are part of the game and it’s up to each team to use them to their advantage. It’s just that Arsenal are rather good at them and perhaps why Liverpool sacked their set piece coach because they’ve not
The narrative of us struggling to score in open play is just garbage by sky sports and the whiny so called pundits to draw ratings cause talking about Arsenal sells. Yes we are probably the best team at set pieces but we also score a lot of open play goals.
Open play goals: 20
Set pieces: 11
Penalties: 2
Own goal: 3
There is also the fact that we face the lowest block on average in the league while we play the highest line. If we weren’t that good then teams would dare to come out, press and attack us more but they don’t. Just look at our performances when teams try to play us, they get spanked.
This is not just the narrative of pundits but also that of certain people who claim to be Arsenal fans.
Given that Arsenal soundly defeated Villa some of them have gone rather quiet although the narratives rumble on. What Arsenal are trying to do is to make use of opportunities that can arise during any phase of the game.
Is there a table for the number of open play goals scored by teams in the EPL this season? Wouldn’t that be a clearer comparison than to just quote 81 for the whole of 2025?
You can find all this info, and more, on: whoscored.com.
Thanks Jax. My relative inexperience with whoscored.com did not lead me to the league table for open play goals. I made a last ditch attempt and searched “open play” with their search function which also yielded no result.
Anyway I’m not too bothered with the data, just a bit disappointed that this article is about open play goals yet makes no attempt to offer any meaningful comparison of how we measure up to other EPL teams in that department.
Spunking all that money on a “goal scorer”🤣 who can’t score hasn’t done much for our open play goals, but the returning Havertz & Jesus may improve that particular statistic somewhat (hopefully).
Im not for or against the point but thats really not how data is analysed at all
It would be interesting to see what % of goals arsenal have conceded from set plays.
For me, those pundits and opposition fans complaining about Arsenal’s set-piece excellence are doing so to make themselves feel better.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t set-pieces been apart of football since time. It’s not new is it, Arsenal haven’t discovered it. They are just particularly good at it.
Yes I like seeing them score from open play, but set-pieces are in the rules of the game. So therefore are a good way to add to the range of ways to score a goal in a game.
If we win the League this season, how many people will complain that we scored x amount of goals from set-pieces. 👍
A goal is a goal is a goal is a goal usque ad finem.
Jax,
Don’t you dare use such language. 😂🤣👍