Diego Simeone has suggested Arsenal’s current strength on set-pieces is reminiscent of one of his early Atletico Madrid teams.
There’s been plenty of talk about Arsenal’s set pieces over the last year or so, with the Gunners proving more effective than anyone else at racking up goals from dead ball situations.
The team scored another winner from a set piece on Saturday, with Leandro Trossard poking home after Gabriel Magalhaes flicked on a Bukayo Saka corner.
With Atletico Madrid proving so effective defensively in open play, Arsenal may need another corner goal on Tuesday night, and Atletico boss Diego Simeone wouldn’t be surprised to see one.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Simeone explained why he thinks the Gunners are so good on set pieces.
“I see great ball strikers, tall players, and very good headers,” Simeone said.
“The number of goals they score like this is unusual; they work very carefully. It’s a huge strength. We won many games that way in 2014, and it’s an option they have too.”
It’s worth mentioning that Arsenal are capable of scoring goals from more than just free-kicks and corners.
The Gunners haven’t scored a single set-piece goal in the Champions League so far, with all four of their goals against Athletic Club and Olympiacos coming from open play.
But Mikel Arteta doesn’t shy away from trying to optimise his team in every area, and that certainly gives opposition managers plenty to think about ahead of their games.