Mikel Arteta has responded to comments about Arsenal setting trends for other teams in the Premier League to copy.
The Gunners have enjoyed an impressive start to the new season which sees them sat at the summit of the English top flight after nine matches.
Despite winning eleven of their first 13 matches across all competitions, Arsenal have been criticised for their functional style of play, which many feel is bleeding into how other sides approach the game.
Arteta’s team are coming under intense scrutiny for focusing on set-pieces and for being meticulously structured, in and out of possession.
The accusations are that these tactical ploys are making the Premier League less enjoyable to watch as a spectacle, and Arteta has finally responded to this.
Mikel Arteta responds to ‘trendsetting’ comments
Jamie Carragher feels Arsenal are perfectly set up to win the league, based on the direction he perceives the English game to be going in.
The Sky Sports pundit, along with many others, feels as though teams are copy and pasting how the Gunners play, leading to a lack of diversity in the playing styles, as teams become more homogeneous.
Arteta was asked about his Arsenal team ‘trendsetting’ for the rest of the Premier League in his press conference on Tuesday, and he unsurprisingly gave a coy answer.
“I don’t know, but a lot of things we do in other aspects, I am sure teams will pick up on them,” he said.
“We do the same with other teams. If you can find this can help and win more football matches, then they are more than welcome.”
Teams are obviously going to copy Arsenal’s set-piece routines
Ultimately, teams will watch the best sides in the league, see what they do well and how they can emulate some of the things that they are doing.
This has happened for all of eternity, and the one glaring thing that Arsenal do very well is set-pieces. Carragher described Arsenal’s set-pieces as ‘very special’ after the Gunners scored from another against Crystal Palace, and he’s not wrong.
It would be negligent for analysts across the league to be closely observing what the North Londoners do from dead-ball situations and not to try to implement these methods at their own clubs.
That said, this is the only area of Arsenal’s game that is being closely replicated by the rest of the league. The Gunners are somewhat unique with the rest of their game model, and most sides are trying to counter-act it tactically, rather than trying to copy it.
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