Arsenal are no longer the Premier League's set-piece kings

There was a time in the not so recent past when Arsenal look poised to go on trial at The Hague. Suddenly, scoring so relentlessly from set pieces delved into the realm of war criminality.

Tony Pulis returned to relevancy, with the Gunners' proficiency from the dead ball drawing comparisons to the Potters outfits led by Pulis who punched above their weight in the top tier.

Mikel Arteta welcomed the comparisons given his emphasis on the extra one per cent. These were the details capable of thrusting this Arsenal team to Premier League glory. However, since the rife commotion in the wake of December's 2-0 victory over Manchester United, the Gunners have returned to a state of normalcy. No longer are they the division's dominant force from set pieces.

Arsenal are no longer the Premier League's set-piece kings

The once-prominent Nicolas Jover has suddenly become an afterthought, although Gary Neville still has it in for the bloke. Since Christmas, Arsenal have scored one Premier League goal from a set-piece - the own goal forced by Gabriel in the North London Derby. Their malaise has allowed Crystal Palace to usurp them as the league-leading attackers from the dead ball.

While Arsenal have refused to shift from ten set-piece goals, Palace have moved up to 11 in recent weeks.

The Gunners still lead the way on the expected goals front at 11.96 (via The Analyst) but have doubtlessly suffered in the absence of inswinging specialist Bukayo Saka. The Englishman's ability to put the ball on a sixpence aided Arsenal's early proficiency, although Jover deserves credit for installing unique ploys and ensuring his team are adaptable when attacking different defensive systems.

Defensively, the stats suggest Arsenal have been somewhat unfortunate. They've conceded seven set-piece goals (the joint-fourth highest in the division) from an xGA of 4.37 (the lowest in the division). Their excellence from open play perhaps exacerbates their 'issues' defending set pieces, which I made note of in previous campaigns. Currently, the Gunners are conceding the greatest share of goals from set-pieces in the league (31.82%).

Arsenal's dead-ball dominance has faded, with the circus surrounding their excellence after the United win forcing teams to make even more of a concerted effort to slow them down. We saw Monaco adopt an innovative ploy of unloading the box to force the Gunners to commit fewer bodies forward, and other Premier League sides have utilised a more aggressive approach to prevent Arsenal's runners from gaining momentum.

Arteta's side are still winning set pieces at the rate they were during their pomp (61 over the previous ten league games), and it's about time we rediscovered our Stoke edge given the injury woes up top. If the opening 70 minutes of Saturday's 2-0 win at Leicester are anything to go by, Arsenal are going to need set-pieces to get them through their upcoming run of games. The Mikel Merino striker gimmick surely isn't sustainable, right?

I miss the days of 1-0, Gabriel 63'. My FPL team needs it, too.

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