Mikel Arteta has revealed how he was obsessed with set-pieces long before he became a coach after turning Arsenal into dead-ball kings during his tenure.
Mikel Arteta says it has taken Arsenal “10 years” to become the Premier League’s set-piece kings. Arsenal are kings of goals from free kicks and corner kicks, scoring 10 goals in 12 games across all competitions this season.
That put them at the top of the table, winning all three of their Champions League games and becoming the first team to score 10 goals from set pieces in all five of Europe’s top leagues. Arteta and set-piece coach Nicolas Jobel made opposing defenses tremble in fear every time Arsenal put the ball into the mixer.
However, the Arsenal manager revealed that he first started looking into improving his set-pieces in 2015, when he was earning his coaching badge in his final year as a player at the Emirates.
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola then blamed Arteta for improving his set-pieces when the former Arsenal midfielder joined his coaching staff and officially took the jobber to the Etihad.
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Arteta was in fact so obsessed with coaching and becoming a manager that he was nicknamed ‘Coach’ by his Arsenal teammates. The Gunners manager is now a trendsetter with set-pieces and England manager Thomas Tuchel has made it clear he is following suit.
“Ten years ago I thought I had to do it and I wasn’t here. But 10 years ago I said it’s hard to do it and started having a vision, doing it a certain way and trying to surround myself with the best people to make it happen,” Arteta said.
“It’s about taking advantage of those moments. And if you can’t create other moments, definitely take advantage of those moments. But I think it’s also about the coach, the environment and the culture of the players you have.”
“And everything has to be adjusted. If you want to have a certain approach to how the game is played, for example, we are very aggressive, so it is better to sign, educate and train the team in a situation where it can be achieved.”
“Even if you don’t, if you want to be a team that deals with high presses really well, you better be the best in the world at trackbacks, because at some point your opponent is going to break down your press.”
“So you need players who can do that. So it’s all related to what you want to do. You have to take players and evolve them in that direction. That’s how football is. Football doesn’t stop. Everything is connected.”
Arteta also reflected on how beneficial his three years as a member of City’s staff were before taking over as Arsenal manager in December 2019.
At the Etihad, Arteta learned the importance of narrow margins and set-pieces as a team weapon. Even when it comes to Arsenal being the best at creating ‘chaos’.
Arteta added: “I went to City with the best manager in the world so I could see where I could improve. It was obvious because at one point I was doing that and I wasn’t the best person in the world to do it.”
“So even if I’m not the best person in the world to do it or the best way to do it, there are ways to make it better. And you’ll know that as soon as it starts happening. But I’m not just attached to it. I’m the same way.
“Defensively, in all transitions, I want to be the best when it comes to chaos, I want to be the best. I’m the best when it comes to positioning and attacking. I’m the best when it comes to low blocks.”
“And that’s the eagerness to always try to find ways to develop the team, to evolve, to be more unpredictable and especially to give the players more tools to play more efficiently. That’s it.”
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