STOKE OF GENIUS

Gunners cornering set-piece market... & Pulis would be proud

-  JOHN CROSS

MIKEL ARTETA has channelled his inner Tony Pulis to make Arsenal the kings of set-pieces.

Incredibly, the Gunners have now scored 22 goals from corners since the start of last season, seven more than any other team.

Arsenal manager Arteta prides himself on finding marginal gains, even if it means rolling back the years to become a more expensively assembled version of Stoke City under Pulis (circle).

That is where Arsenal's setpiece coach Nicolas Jover comes in. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola charged Arteta with finding the best set-piece coach when they worked together at the Etihad. Arteta took Jover (the pair, right) from Brentford to City and then tempted the German-born coach to join him at the Emirates in the summer of 2021.

And Arsenal's set-pieces have since become a huge part of their armoury.