Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff at Arsenal are occasionally thrust into the limelight, and set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has now earned praise from Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Frenchman joined from Manchester City in 2021, having previously worked with Arteta under Pep Guardiola, and Arsenal’s set-piece record since he arrived has been outstanding.
Arsenal have scored the most set-piece goals in the Premier League this season, and are generally good at defending them, with the 4-3 win at Luton Town the exception to this trend.
Zinchenko praises Arsenal coach Nicolas Jover
Speaking in a press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League tie with PSV Eindhoven, Zinchenko highlighted the important role Jover has played in training.
“He is amazing, honestly. An amazing professional, an amazing person as well,” he stated of Jover.
“You can see it every single day at the training ground, the way he works, he’s absolutely professional in terms of everything and he’s working so hard.
“He’s trying to do improve us on set pieces and we’re learning.”
Nicolas Jover’s impact on Arsenal’s set pieces
Jover is a vocal character within Arsenal’s backroom staff, and was recently criticised by Gary Neville for being too animated on the touchline, whilst he was also involved with an altercation with Kyle Walker after Arsenal’s victory over Manchester City.
Arsenal have scored nine goals from set-pieces this season, more than any other side, and this represents 27% of their total goal total in the Premier League.
When Arsenal take and defend corners, Jover takes centre-stage on the touchline to organise the defence, and this clearly had an impact last season.
Arsenal conceded eight set-piece goals last season, a total only bettered by Liverpool and Manchester City, whilst their 15 set-piece goals was fourth behind Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and Liverpool, who ended the season with 17.
The Gunners have conceded three goals from set-pieces this season, although two came as a result of David Raya’s errors in the win against Luton, and the Gunners are generally well-organised at the back in these situations.
Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus previously worked with Jover at Manchester City, whilst Raya joined Brentford shortly after Jover departed for the Etihad Stadium.
The defender’s comments highlight how highly appreciated Jover is at Arsenal, and he is a key part of Arteta’s coaching staff, who have found themselves playing an even bigger role in recent weeks whilst the Spaniard faced a touchline ban against Aston Villa, and could face another one soon.
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