Champions League: Arsenal’s ultimate weapon that PSG will have to be wary of

This Tuesday, the Champions League will offer us quite a shock as Paris Saint-Germain travels to the Emirates Stadium. Still in training, Arsenal nevertheless remained on a fine 4-2 victory snatched at the end of the match against Leicester. A match where the Gunners were able to regain the advantage thanks to one of their best weapons, set pieces. On a corner kicked on the right towards the far post by Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard saw his recovery unfortunately deflected by Wilfred Ndidi into the back of his own net. This is now Arsenal’s 25th goal scored from a set piece since last season and the 19th from a corner.

A real trademark like the 2-1 goal scored by Gabriel Magalhães against Manchester City (2-2) on September 22. Moreover, it is no coincidence that the 2nd top scorer of the season in the Premier League for Arsenal is the Brazilian Gabriel Magalhães (excellent in the air) and the best passer Bukayo Saka (used to take set pieces) . A success in this sector which is largely due to a Frenchman, Nicolas Jover. Since 2021 and his arrival at the head of Arsenal, 53 goals have been scored in stopped phases (excluding penalties) by the Gunners. An importance given to these exercises which allowed Arsenal to pose a real threat to their opponents in this register.

Nicolas Jover boosted Arsenal’s efficiency

Collaborating with Mikel Arteta at Manchester City when he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant, Nicolas Jover was able to allow Arsenal to correct its weaknesses in this register quite quickly and made it a world reference. Gunners coach Mikel Arteta praised him on September 15 after a 1-0 victory against Tottenham where Bukayo Saka found Gabriel Magalhães’ head from a corner to achieve a resounding success in the derby. “He is the best in his field, in other fields and as a person. And the relationship we have is great, that’s why I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and then to Arsenal“, declared the Spanish coach.

The latter then continued: “he and the rest of the staff instilled in the players the belief that there are many ways to win football games. It’s a really powerful experience and he gave us a lot. A big compliment to everyone.» And this efficiency in this register is no longer seen as a simple strong point, but a formidable weapon. Asked about the podcast Optus Sport Footballformer Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen praised the work done by the Gunners while highlighting their “vice”: “they have scored 31 goals in the last two seasons from corners. What they do well is they obviously try to eliminate the goalkeeper by not going towards him and obstructing him before the kick, but actually they get into position just before the kick.»

He mentioned the goal scored against Manchester City to highlight one of Arsenal’s set-piece tactics which consists of hindering the goalkeeper as much as possible without making a mistake in order to find a player to score: “the ref will look and then he’ll look away and that’s when Havertz comes in behind and blocks it late and they know they’re good enough to put the ball in the right area. Obviously for Gabriel, you know, we saw it against Tottenham too, it’s not a coincidence and they do it very well. But for me it’s a surprise that Manchester City wasn’t aware of it, that they weren’t prepared because they know the history behind it.» PSG, which was notably eliminated in the semi-final of the Champions League last year following a goal from a corner by Mats Hummels, knows where one of the main dangers will come from.

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