Premier League Games: Guardiola Defends Arsenal as Set-Piece Debate Deepens
At a news conference, Pep Guardiola pushed back against the idea that Arsenal would be undeserving champions because of their reliance on set pieces, and he framed the argument in the context of what fans and teams bring to premier league games. He said he “doesn’t agree” with critics and stressed that Arsenal have every right to use the tactics that work for them.
Are Premier League Games being decided by set pieces?
Short answer: sometimes — and that is reshaping how managers, coaches and supporters experience matches. Arsenal have been the division’s set-piece specialists, scoring a league-high 24 goals from free-kicks, corners and throw-ins, a total that represents a large share of their scoring. Some voices in the game have been blunt: Paul Scholes called the notion of an Arsenal title win built on set pieces “the worst team to ever win the Premier League. ” Guardiola rejected that line of argument, saying “I don’t agree” and that he was sure Arsenal’s manager, players and fans are happy with what they have created.
Why is Guardiola pleased with Manchester City’s approach to premier league games?
Guardiola has repeatedly signalled satisfaction that Manchester City have been less reliant on dead-ball goals. City have nine goals from set plays, one of the lowest totals in the division, and a high share of their scoring has come from open play. His reaction to the stat was succinct: “Good. ” He explained that he pays more attention to set pieces now than earlier in his career and has delegated detailed work on those situations to his set-piece coach, James French, while he focuses on broader tactical evolution. Guardiola used a comparison to other sports to make a point about adaptation: trends spread when they work and opponents must respond.
What are clubs and coaches doing in response to the set-piece trend?
Teams are treating set pieces as a tactical battleground. Guardiola said teams must adapt when opponents create problems from dead balls, and he described leaving the specific drilling to James French to prepare his players. He also noted the need to consider how set pieces are refereed and conducted during matches. At the same time, Arsenal’s approach has produced a palpable feeling among their supporters; Guardiola observed that Arsenal fans would likely not want to “change one second” of their set-piece routines because those moments generate confidence and expectation of scoring. Critics have questioned whether that style should define a title winner, while managers and coaches increasingly plan for the chaos created at near and far posts and in the scramble for second balls.
Voices are varied: Paul Scholes offered sharp criticism, Guardiola defended the legitimacy of different methods of scoring, and other managers have lamented that dead-ball emphasis makes the league “not as joyful” in some respects. Guardiola’s response to that concern was to stress adaptation rather than complaint.
Back at the news conference the tone was measured but pointed. Guardiola would not reduce the debate to aesthetics: “It doesn’t matter how you score as long as the ball goes in the net, ” he said, and he noted his willingness to evolve training and tactics to meet new challenges. The row over set pieces has become a mirror for a wider question about merit, style and the ways teams win in the modern game — a question playing out every weekend across premier league games.
As the exchange wound down, Guardiola framed the issue as part of football’s evolution: fans and critics will argue about purity, but managers will keep adjusting. The news conference left the debate unresolved yet sharper: set pieces are no longer a curiosity but a season-defining factor, and the human choices behind them — pride, coaching, and a fanbase’s appetite for those moments — now matter as much as the numbers on the scoresheet.
