What on earth has happened to Arsenal? I am not talking about the way we struggled away to Crystal Palace today, but the way that the Gunners now seem to be a different side, at least as far as set pieces are concerned.
Not only are we now scoring regularly from corners, free kicks and penalties, but we have found a way to stop other teams from scoring against us in the same sort of situation. Okay, penalties are a bit different and I cannot really give Arsene Wenger’s assistant the credit for Danny Welbeck winning and Santi Cazorla scoring the penalty that gave us the lead.
But how about recognising the fact that we are not giving any away at the minute? That is something we have been guilty of in recent years but now you very rarely see an Arsenal player making rash tackles in the box. Could that have come from the instruction and barracking in training that comes from Steve Bould? It has never really been something you associate with Wenger, that is for sure.
But it is the way we have been dealing with corners and free kicks at both ends that has been so impressive as the season has progressed. Don’t forget that not long ago we had a dreadful record of failing to score from these crucial situations as well as conceding from them. It was kind of an Arsenal trait, like losing big away games.
So should our former centre back and current assistant manager be getting a big thankyou from Wenger and the fans for the way that he has turned a problem into aa asset?