Arsenal’s Set Piece Decline: Here Are The Worrying Numbers

Pain in the Arsenal's Jason McKenna highlights a sharp regression in Arsenal's set-piece performance five games into the season. The Gunners have failed to score a single dead-ball goal across their first eight tallies, with set-play expected goals dropping by 48% and overall attempts down by 34.6%. The drop sees Arsenal slide from first to ninth in Premier League set-piece xG, diminishing what was previously a crucial competitive advantage.

Defensively, Arsenal have also experienced issues, conceding 15 set-play attempts compared to seven during the same stretch last season. However, McKenna argues there is no need to panic under manager Mikel Arteta. Pointing to past campaigns where Arsenal set corner-kick scoring benchmarks and the arrival of dead-ball specialist Tzolis, McKenna suggests the current struggles represent a temporary slump rather than permanent decline.