rewrite this title Arsenal boss Arteta not worried by set-piece reliance

Mikel Arteta dismissed suggestions Arsenal were over-reliant on set-pieces following the 1-1 draw at Fulham this afternoon.

William Saliba got Arsenal’s equaliser from a corner, cancelling out Raul Jimenez’s opener, prodding home after Kai Havertz had knocked down Declan Rice’s delivery.

It was the fourth game in succession that the Gunners had scored from a corner, and the 23rd time they have managed it since the start of last season, the most in Europe’s top-five leagues.

More worryingly was the fact their open play xG at Craven Cottage was just 0.3.

Not the result we wanted. Not the result your support deserved.

Thank you for being with us all game, Gooners 👏 pic.twitter.com/X5pZkYaP17

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 8, 2024

Arteta said: “I think it’s a great thing that we can again score from a set piece. We can generate other stuff, we had other chances. For a team to play like this you have to analyse every phase. Obviously against a low block you generate set pieces and you generate crosses because it’s really difficult to attack inside.”

Asked if his team were creating enough chances from open play, he added: “It’s never enough if you don’t score three, four or five. 

“We want to improve in everything that we absolutely do. If they play 11 or 12 direct balls there, I want to win 11. If it’s 12, then 12. If we win the high press and we release the unit out wide and they want to play, six times, six times. And when we manage the game, we want to management the game 100 per cent. That’s football.”

Gutted Arteta bemoans fine margins

With Liverpool not playing due to the postponement of the Merseyside derby, Arsenal failed to take full advantage, although they did have a late Bukayo Saka goal ruled out for a marginal offside.

Arteta said: “Gutted that we didn’t win it, because I think we deserved to win from the beginning to the end. We did almost everything that we had to do to win it. But this is the quality of the opposition, with one chance they score a goal. And then the margins of the league as well. 

“For millimetres we could have been sitting here with three points after a really strong and dominant performance against a really good team.

“We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We have to stand up for ourselves. We had a really good performance against a really good side. Normally you don’t see these kind of games here. Now we have to continue to improve and look at what we can do better so that the opposition have zero chances to win the game. That’s the objective.”