Mikel Merino has pushed back at those who have criticised Arsenal for their set-piece prowess.
Speaking on The Overlap, the Arsenal midfielder was asked by Gary Neville about the praise, but also criticism, the team have received for their dead ball routines, and how much time they dedicate to it each week.
“It’s a very important part of the game, not only for us but for every team,” Merino said. “You can see big games being decided by that. The momentum of the game changing because of a set-piece.
“That’s something that we do train a lot, and we are very happy and very proud of being good at that, because that’s why you work.
“I don’t understand why you can get criticised for being good at something.”
Ian Wright agreed, adding: “Especially with the delivery. People feel like the delivery is just something that just happens. That’s practice.”
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Merino nodded, saying: “That’s practice and repetition and mistakes and learning and being humble enough.
“Nico [Jover] is probably the best set-piece coach in the world, definitely. And he’s very good at understanding what’s going on and adapting to the players.
“Hard work, repetition, and frustration sometimes when things don’t go your way, but yeah, improving every day.”
Merino’s words echo Arsenal legend Robert Pires, who said he doesn’t have a problem with Mikel Arteta leaning on set-pieces if it wins them titles.
Arsenal’s set-piece mastery deserves more credit than it gets
The criticism, largely that it is somehow cynical or unglamorous, rather misses the point.
As Wright and Merino both alluded to, set-pieces do not just happen themselves through sheer luck or circumstance.
The movement, the timing, the delivery, the positioning — all of it requires hours of meticulous work on the training ground under Nicolas Jover, who Merino describes as the best in the world at what he does.
And the numbers back up every word. Arsenal scored 19 goals from corners in 2025/26 — the most in Premier League history — representing 35% of all their goals scored.
That is the highest percentage of any title winner since the competition began in 1992.
No side in the division scored more headed goals, with 16, while at the other end Arsenal conceded just seven times from dead ball situations, joint lowest in the league.
Arsenal haven’t “ruined football”, they have simply adapted to it better than any other team.
Earlier this season, Bernardo Silva admitted that Manchester City eventually had to adopt the same approach because the alternative was simply to concede the advantage — an issue that cost Ange Postecoglou so many points during his tenure as Tottenham manager.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool have also adapted and changed their set-piece coach in response to the gains Arsenal were making over them.
When even your rivals are copying you, the criticism becomes hard to justify.
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