Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have had a rather disappointing journey in the last few seasons in the Premier League. They have often come very close to winning silverware but settled for much less than trophies. And this season too they are on the same path of finishing not as winners but as Runners Up. Arsenal are currently on. They are on the verge of being kicked out of the Carabao Cup as they are behind after the first leg of the semifinal on aggregate, 2-0, against Newcastle United. Not only this but only a few days back, Arsenal were eliminated by Manchester United in the FA Cup in a very close game that was ultimately decided by penalties.
Meanwhile, in the Premier League, the North London club are currently in the same position they finished in the last 2 seasons of the league with the only change being that the team ahead of them leading the league isn’t Manchester City, but Liverpool. In Europe, Arsenal are 3rd in the Champions League Group Stage table with 6 games done and 2 group stage games still to go. But the main concern isn’t the position that they find themselves in at this point of the footballing season. But rather the way they are playing on the football field doesn’t exactly induce a whole lot of confidence.
The Set-Piece Strategy Not Enough To Win Arsenal Trophies
This Season, Arsenal FC have seemed to adopt a Set-Piece strategy with their tall backline of defenders, especially the Brazilian centre-half Gabriel M. leading the charge in goals via set pieces. Especially at the start of the season, with the very talented Bukayo Saka banging in precise crosses for corners, it was seemingly impossible not to concede against Arsenal. But now with Saka out injured the incoming deliveries are not so precise but still capable of hurting the opposition.
The only problem with that strategy is that it’s nowhere close to being a winning strategy in big competitions and against quality opposition. This is the reason why Arsenal will never be a title contender until they stop relying on their set-piece strategy and come up with something better.
