Arsenal fans are starting to notice one worrying attacking trend

Not so long ago, Arsenal were accused of only scoring goals from corners. Now though, supporters are wondering what happened to the set piece again olé olé phenomenon? Since beating Chelsea 2-1 on 1 March, a match in which both William Saliba and Jurriën Timber headed corners home, they have not had a single one to enjoy. More broadly, the statistics are stark when comparing the start of the season to recent weeks.

Arsenal corner goals: August-January vs February-April

Note: Statistics courtesy of Statmuse & SofaScore.

The numbers do not lie, there has been a dramatic decline in Arsenal corner goals since the 4-0 demolition of Leeds United at the end of January. Up until that point, almost 26% of the Gunners' goals had come via this method, racking up 21 corner goals, making every 11th corner count.

Since the start of February however, from 95 corners taken, only two have produced a goal, both coming in that one game against Chelsea, as already mentioned. As a result, the Gunners' goals per game has drastically dropped by over 0.5 goals-per-match, netting just 28 times in their last 17 matches. Of these, eight came in two games against EFL League One side Wigan and soon to be EFL Championship outfit Tottenham.

So, what could be behind Arsenal losing their set-piece superpower? Well, when looking at the corner kick servers, Declan Rice has looked exhausted in recent weeks. His deliveries are so inch-perfect and precise that, even if he is slightly fatigued, they might just land slightly awry. On the opposite side, Bukayo Saka has not featured since the Carabao Cup Final, amid concerning rumours he will miss the remainder of the season, and no left-footed player can deliver as well as he can.

In terms of those getting on the end of corners in the middle, it is no coincidence that Mikel Merino scored a corner against Manchester United, but has not been seen since, suffering a foot injury in the act of doing so. Jurriën Timber too, scorer of the Gunners' most-recent corner goal, has sat out the last six matches, and he proved himself to be something of a set-piece nuisance.

So, with Sunday's huge trip to Manchester City on the horizon, now would be a good time for Nicolas Jover to remember where he left the magic formulae. Gabriel did score a towering header at the Etihad last season, connecting with a Saka delivery right on the line, and a repeat would be most welcome. How huge for the title race would it be if Mikel Arteta's team could pick up three points from this top of the table clash?

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