S Poddar
Arsenal emerging victorious in their rivalry match against north London counterparts Tottenham isn’t just going to rely on flair and tactical superiority. Rather, it’s the winning set-piece, one of the critical features of detailed planning by Arsenal’s specialist coach Nicolas Jover. Where the fluid, expansive style so often associated with Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou had to be thrown out the window, it was Arsenal’s methodical attention to detail in areas like set pieces that once again proved why the Gunners are a step ahead in this old rivalry.
A familiar Postecoglou sideline sight by now: hands stuffed in pockets, expression worn down as though resigned to some inevitable fate. And in this final stages of this derby, it felt as if that fate had come, personified in the form of Arsenal set-piece coach jumping into Postecoglou’s peripheral view, his anticipation increasing with every passing minute. It seemed almost like a character out of a thriller film as if the end is all set, as Arsenal tightens their grip around the game.
It wasn’t lost on people who have seen the pre-match narratives, but the irony wasn’t lost on the now fans who have witnessed yet another defeat. After a similar defeat in the past, Postecoglou had gone downplaying set pieces, saying that his focus was to create a more fluid, expansive kind of game, but as football often tends to do, it threw up a poetic twist. Despite a very impressive Spurs performance that was characterized by good fluid movement and creative build-up play, the moment belonged to precisely what Postecoglou had downplayed – a perfectly executed set-piece routine from Arsenal.
This match underlined one of the heavy differences between the two clubs. Arsenal’s approach is built into each and every smallest detail, from their pressure patterns to their passing combinations. Their set piece clarity cannot just be a coincidence-it is indeed part and parcel of what makes Mikel Arteta’s side so recognizable. As a title-challenging team, they soon realized that while creativity is undoubtedly key, sometimes it is where games are won through good old-fashioned tactical discipline, specifically in those few decisive moments.
The breakthrough came in the 64th minute, via Bukayo Saka, whose corner looked routine on the face of things, though beneath the surface an orchestrated play. A run towards the near post drew the eye away from the back, leaving Gabriel Magalhães open to power a header into the back of the net. It was clinical and, in many ways, inevitable – the culmination of a side that has come to define this Arsenal in terms of planning and precision.
For much of the game, there was always a feeling that Arsenal needed a clinical finisher, a proper striker who was ready to pounce on even the slightest half-chance. The game itself sometimes took on the scrubby look of a free-for-all pub fight rather than a fluid, high-level match of football. Both sides were resorting to fouls and cynical challenges, and the number of bookings for attempts to pull back an opponent in the center of the pitch was decidedly unusual.
Yet in all the messiness of it all, Arsenal somehow still managed to appear as if they were building to something. And then came the goal from Gabriel – not just the relief of breaking deadlock but rather the realization that Arsenal, with all their precision of tactics, actually does possess that killer instinct. This time around, though, the killer wasn’t so much a player as a coach – Jover, whose set-piece expertise has become Arsenal’s deadly arsenal.
The scene around Jover became more chaotic as celebratory mobs covered him in all directions when it was apparent that his contribution to Arsenal was far more than tactics. His sideline energy and participation, crouched down, moving about, leaping and pointing throughout the game, only signify a greater phenomenon in football: the rise of coaches who are specialists who can distinguish between winning and losing through their input in games. Undoubtedly, with such crucial goals scored for Arsenal from set pieces, Jover has certainly made a huge difference at Arsenal. Gabriel’s winner here was his fifth match-winning goal, and proof of how important this element of Arsenal’s game is becoming.
It’s not that Postecoglou doesn’t care about set pieces-Spurs have their own set-piece coach. However, Arsenal, in short, do it much better. The opening 10 minutes of this match saw Spurs put four balls in the Arsenal box via set pieces, and each was calmly dealt with by the Gunners’ defence, driving home the striking difference as to how the two teams handle this crucial element of the game.
The obsession with detail does not stop with set pieces. Lacking key men Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal made up for it with brio and grit. Jurriën Timber and Gabriel Martinelli were a useful left-hand axis, and, through the middle, Leandro Trossard wore himself out, even ripping his shirt on one particularly feistily demanding moment, leaving him uncannily like C-3PO with exposed torso. And even the late riser, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, knew he was there with some lively show.
At the end, Arsenal again demonstrate that it is fine-tuning preparation, personified by Jover and their identified set-piece play that will prove the difference in a tight contest. It was not just the winning header by Gabriel but a result of planning and precision, and, of course, inevitable.
