Mikel Arteta describes obtaining Tony Pulis’ approval as a “big compliment.”
Pulis, the former Stoke City manager, earned a reputation for tormenting Arsenal when his team dominated set pieces. Arsenal have now reclaimed their title after scoring 22 goals from corners since the start of last season, seven more than any other team.
Sky pundit Gary Neville described Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nico Jover as the “most annoying bloke in football,” while Dimitar Berbatov likened Arsenal to a modern-day Stoke after they scored from two corners against Manchester United last Wednesday. Pulis was significantly more supportive, stating, “It’s an important part of the game.” It took them a long to figure it out, but it appears that the penny has dropped.”
Arteta, the Gunners’ manager, said: “It is fantastic because we excel in many areas. We see it as a complement and motivation to do better. I completely got what Berbatov stated. It was said in the greatest possible manner.
We view that as a huge complement because Stoke were fantastic.” Arteta has done wonders with set pieces, but he admits he recognised their importance while playing for Everton and has carried that knowledge with him to Manchester City and now Arsenal.
Arteta continued, “Probably when I was a player because I understood at Everton how important they were and how difficult it was for the opposition.”
When I first arrived here, we experienced a stretch of poor performance and were eliminated from numerous major matches. I went to City and realised we needed to do something about it.
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