Arteta: Stoke comparison is a compliment for Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has said comparisons of his Arsenal team with Tony Pulis’s Stoke City in the 2010s are a compliment - but added that he wants his players to be "kings of everything", as well as set-pieces.

Arsenal have scored the most Premier League goals from corners since the start of last season, and this prowess has led to them being compared to Pulis’s Stoke side, who netted 43.1 per cent of their league goals (81 of 188) between 2008 and 2013 from set-pieces (excluding penalties).

Arteta's men are yet to match that Stoke statistic. Of their 119 league goals since the start of the 2023/24 season, 30 have come via set-pieces, a ratio of 25 per cent. 

FUL

1-1

ARS

Highlights Available

close

TV Info - Broadcasters

Ahead of Sunday's trip to Fulham, where victory would close the gap on leaders Liverpool to four points, Arteta has a positive take on Arsenal being compared to a team who were so efficient from dead-ball situations.

"I understand very well what Roberto [Martinez] said," remarked Arteta, referring to the former Everton manager who made the Stoke comparison.

"It was [said] in the best possible way so we will take it as a big compliment because they [Stoke] were so good at it.

"We want to be the kings of everything,” added Arteta, in his pre-match press conference.

"At set-pieces - the best in the world. At the high press - the best in the world. Attacking open spaces - the best in the world. We want the best atmosphere in the stadium, and to be the best at everything."

Arteta also alluded to criticism earlier in the season that Arsenal had lost their attacking threat at the expense of a more defensive approach.

"Before, [the criticism] was about we didn’t score enough, we were so defensive in our mentality, we were not physical enough and could not challenge the top teams and going 17, 20, 22 years without winning away from home in big matches," he said.

"Now we want to be the best at everything, we want to have the best academy, the best individual development for players, recruit the best players and have the best coaches. That’s the aim.

"Success at the end of the day is we win what we want to win. If that allows you to win a game, great, and another game, great, but it’s a lot of elements."

Premier League goals from corners since 2023/24

The two goals scored from corners that earned Arsenal their 2-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday took the team's tally from such set-pieces to 22 since the start of last season. That is seven more than the next-best Premier League team in that period, Manchester City.

Highest percentage of PL goals from set-pieces since 23/24

As we reminded readers earlier this week, specialist coach Nicolas Jover has increased Arsenal's tally of set-piece goals from only six in 2020/21 - the campaign before he joined the club from Man City - to a league-high 20 in 2023/24. In terms of percentages, only two teams have had a greater reliance on set-pieces for Premier League goals since the start of last season, Everton and the now-Championship side Luton Town.

*Excluding penalties