- Arsenal beat Manchester United 2–0, with both goals coming from corners
- The Gunners have had remarkable success from set pieces this season
- LISTEN NOW: Manchester City correspondent Jack Gaughan joins us It all starts! to explain whether Pep Guardiola has money to spend in January
Mikel Arteta insisted he is flattered by the comparisons with Stoke City due to Arsenal’s skill in the set and will aim to dominate in all areas of the game.
Their two goals on Wednesday night, to beat Manchester United 2-0, courtesy of William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, once again had the pundits spinning about the Gunners’ dead-ball prowess.
Dimitar Berbatov compared Arteta’s men to Tony Pulis’ Stoke team, who were famous for their immense physicality and ingenuity in all kinds of set pieces.
The north London club have now scored 22 goals from corners since the start of the 2023/2024 season, which is the most in Europe’s top five leagues. During the same period, Manchester City were second in the Premier League with fifteen such goals.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s league match against Fulham on Sunday, he said: ‘I understood very well what Berbatov said. We take it as a great compliment because Stoke were so good at it.’
When asked about the Gunners being called ‘corner kings’, he continued: ‘We want to be the kings of everything. Set pieces, the best in the world. High press, the best in the world.
Mikel Arteta addressed Dimitar Berbatov’s comments during a press conference on Friday
Arsenal have been branded ‘the new Stoke City’ by former Man United man Dimitar Berbatov
‘The best in the world in open space. The best atmosphere in the stadium and the best in everything.
‘Before we didn’t score enough, we were weak in defending, we didn’t have a mentality, we weren’t physical enough, we didn’t beat the big teams away from home for 17 years, 20 years, 22 years.
‘We want to be the best in everything. We want to have the best academy, be the best at player development, recruit the best players and the best coaches. That’s the goal.’
It’s an area that both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who takes the designated corner, are working hard on in training.
“They’re working on it, like any other kind of finishing work, all the time,” he said. “We want to be a threat with everything we do. We must take every opportunity to make it count and make it a threat.”
Arteta’s appreciation for the profession began as a player during the Spaniard’s time at Everton between 2005 and 2011.
“I understood at Everton how important they were and how difficult it was for the opposition,” he explained.
Arsenal scored two goals from corners as they defeated Manchester United 2-0 on Wednesday
‘When I came here too, we had a period in some big games where we suffered and dropped out. I went to (Manchester) City and immediately realized we had to do something about it.”
Sunday’s match reunites Arteta with a string of ex-players such as Emile Smith Rowe, Bernd Leno and Alex Iwobi, as well as loanee Reiss Nelson.
He added: “They are doing very well. I’m very happy for them. Reiss is still one of us, but so are the rest. It will be great to see them.’