AFC - New Year's Resolutions

[HCZ_Reborn]

I would say there’s a lack of consistency in the set piece taking, corner routines especially…they are either very good or fail to beat the first man.

I agree that I wouldn’t set it out as the most important thing when as you say we could be a lot worse off if not for the goals from set piece routines.

Finesse seems to be the most lacking thing. And although I don’t hold much faith in XG, the fact that we have lost the last three games despite having a greater XG count than our opponents does suggest that something is not quite right when it comes to pulling the trigger. I find the whole “Arsenal just want to walk it in” a lazy and tired cliche, but it’s also not without merit…I think we are too often trying to look to set ourselves or pass responsibility when players could take the shot on. There is a bit of an issue of luck given we’ve hit the post and the bar quite a few times this season (more so than I can remember in previous seasons) but it’s relevant in that…when this happens it plays into a players confidence.

Whilst I think we are not creating the chances we did last season, sometimes we are playing with fine margins. The same accusation of being wasteful is something we all voiced at times last season (games where we scored three and four, we could have got five and six). And the deep block is not just something that was used against us last season, take for example the home game against Everton where we won 4-0 but it took that moment of individual brilliance from Saka to score and open the game up…they kept us at arms length before that and we created very little and we looked like we were out of ideas.

Now don’t get me wrong, we clearly have needed a striker but Arteta seems not to like out and out strikers, opting instead for players like Jesus and Trossard who want to be involved in play in midfield. But I think there’s an argument also that our goal scoring issues are as much a case of fine margins as regression in style of play (we are not leaving ourselves any more open to the counter this season than last season)

[Mac76]

I get what you are saying, but I refuse to believe in training that corners and FK's are as bad as we have seen. The set piece coach does not oversee open play shots on goal, and we have all seen how bad these are. The set piece coach can only set up plays - and we have seen really imaginative plays in games. He can't take the dead balls. I refuse to believe that with the players we have there is lack of ability on the ball. Set piece goals have been the thing that has us 5 points of the top this season - there are plenty of areas that require attention elsewhere.

"The set piece coach can only set up plays"

so why is he telling them then to aim EVERY SINGLE CORNER to the near post where they are almost always headed away by the first defender?

it's stunningly predictable, it's almost completely unsuccessful and we waste opportunity after opportunity because of it

whatever the stats say we are dreadful at corners, my eyes aren't lying to me

[HCZ_Reborn]

"The set piece coach can only set up plays"

so why is he telling them then to aim EVERY SINGLE CORNER to the near post where they are almost always headed away by the first defender?

it's stunningly predictable, it's almost completely unsuccessful and we waste opportunity after opportunity because of it

whatever the stats say we are dreadful at corners, my eyes aren't lying to me

The stats say we’ve scored more from set pieces than any other team this season…now either opposition defences have become extraordinary poor from defending set pieces or overall we aren’t doing too bad. Dont get me wrong there are games where it’s been horrendously poor (especially against defences like Newcastle who will eat that shit up all the time) but actually there has been a lot of times where we’ve profited by creating uncertainty at the back post….from Havertz’s goal against Brentford to Jesus goal against Brighton.

[Mac76]

The stats say we’ve scored more from set pieces than any other team this season…now either opposition defences have become extraordinary poor from defending set pieces or overall we aren’t doing too bad. Dont get me wrong there are games where it’s been horrendously poor (especially against defences like Newcastle who will eat that shit up all the time) but actually there has been a lot of times where we’ve profited by creating uncertainty at the back post….from Havertz’s goal against Brentford to Jesus goal against Brighton.

That stat says more about our failure to score from open play than it does about anything else, i.e. you're comparing an area where we're doing badly with an area where we're doing even worse

Once again, my eyes aren't lying, we waste corner after corner and I'm far from being the only one to see it

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

The stats say we’ve scored more from set pieces than any other team this season…now either opposition defences have become extraordinary poor from defending set pieces or overall we aren’t doing too bad. Dont get me wrong there are games where it’s been horrendously poor (especially against defences like Newcastle who will eat that shit up all the time) but actually there has been a lot of times where we’ve profited by creating uncertainty at the back post….from Havertz’s goal against Brentford to Jesus goal against Brighton.

You don't even need to pull out the stats to argue this as its obvious when you watch the games. The variation in our set pieces and the danger it generates has been one of the few joys under Arteta for the past year.

Just look at Odegaard's free kick/pass that got to Havertz, which Gabby and Saka couldn't convert. It was so brilliant that not only did it take the whole Loserpool defence by surprise, but even the camera guy and lil old me watching on the tele had no idea that was coming.

Like IBK said, all the set piece guy can do is set them up, he can't be responsible for the fact that they can't get basic things like headers and touches right anymore...that's a confidence thing and I blame the manager 80% for that.

[HCZ_Reborn]

That stat says more about our failure to score from open play than it does about anything else, i.e. you're comparing an area where we're doing badly with an area where we're doing even worse

Once again, my eyes aren't lying, we waste corner after corner and I'm far from being the only one to see it

Yet it very much appears that other people don’t agree with you, and I’m pointing out that if we have scored the most goals from set pieces that then means that other sides are doing even worse. There are times where our corner routines are poor and predictable, but there are also times which I’ve witnessed with my own eyes that they cause genuine panic in opposition defences.

[Letters]

Set pieces are the least of our worries. As 21GS says, that one yesterday was excellent and would have resulted in a goal if we had competent attackers.

[Mac76]

Yet it very much appears that other people don’t agree with you, and I’m pointing out that if we have scored the most goals from set pieces that then means that other sides are doing even worse. There are times where our corner routines are poor and predictable, but there are also times which I’ve witnessed with my own eyes that they cause genuine panic in opposition defences.

I'm talking specifically about corners, our corners are shite and we should do a lot better, we have people like Gabriel, Saliba etc who waste their time coming forward only to see the ball constantly repulsed by the first defender, I don't care if the whole board disagrees, it's a major failing and, to get back to the point , any manager should be alarmed about and have sought to address it, which Arteta clearly hasn't

Yes we desperately need a striker but even a good striker won't be able to do anything with our appalling corners - the fact that we apparently pay someone to tell the team to take exactly the same crap corner each time only makes it more unacceptable

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm talking specifically about corners, our corners are shite and we should do a lot better, we have people like Gabriel, Saliba etc who waste their time coming forward only to see the ball constantly repulsed by the first defender, I don't care if the whole board disagrees, it's a major failing and, to get back to the point , any manager should be alarmed about and have sought to address it, which Arteta clearly hasn't

Yes we desperately need a striker but even a good striker won't be able to do anything with our appalling corners - the fact that we apparently pay someone to tell the team to take exactly the same crap corner each time only makes it more unacceptable

The majority of our set pieces will be corners, and again I disagree. Because it depends what game you’re watching, against Newcastle the corner taking was feeble but there are other times where we’ve aimed the ball at the far post and created uncertainty and there are times where we’ve been able to execute very good training ground routines (think Trossard goal at Goodison Park)

It’s ok for people not to agree with you, you know. Your eyes may be objective, but the stuff they take in get filtered through the incredibly subjective perceptions of your brain (as it does with us all)

[HCZ_Reborn]

Set pieces are the least of our worries. As 21GS says, that one yesterday was excellent and would have resulted in a goal if we had competent attackers.

Yarp