Overview
- Arsenal clinched the Premier League title on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, ending a 22-year wait for the club and delivering the trophy after several seasons of near-misses under Mikel Arteta.
- Data from Opta shows the scale of the change: Arsenal scored 24 Premier League goals from set pieces this season, a record for champions, including 18 corner goals and 36% of their goals coming from dead-ball situations.
- Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover built rehearsed routines that use timed runs, decoys and blocking to create space and disrupt defenders, while Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice provide precise deliveries and Gabriel and others act as primary aerial targets.
- The shift prompted debate over aesthetics because many goals came from dead balls, yet Arsenal also rank highly for chances and open-play goals, underlining that the set-piece output supplemented rather than wholly replaced open-play threat.
- The immediate question now is whether the same set-piece model can win in Europe as Arsenal prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final and influence how opposition teams prepare tactically next season.