John Terry has spoken out amid criticism of Arsenal and their behaviour at set-pieces.
The Gunners are flying high at the top of the Premier League, but many have slammed them for their style of play. Mikel Arteta’s side are exceptionally strong at set-pieces, having scored more from those situations than any team in the Premier League.
However, they’ve come under fire for their behaviour at set-pieces, with some accusing them of going too far in terms of grappling inside the box.
Alan Pardew is one pundit who has been critical of Arsenal, saying that ‘there’ll be an asterisk next to their name’ if they go on to win the Premier League title. He told talkSPORT:
“They do every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line. At the moment it looks like Arsenal are going to see it through. There’ll be an asterisk next to their name because you’ve only got to look at them really in these type of performances and say it’s just a functional display.
“It’s a professional, functional display. They’re good, they’re strong, they’re powerful. But there is nothing beautiful about them. That’s the truth.”
John Obi Mikel Tears Into Arsenal
John Obi Mikel
Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has also slammed Arsenal in a scathing rant. The Nigerian midfielder has accused Arsenal of ‘cheating’ due to the way they act from set-pieces.
He said: “We [Chelsea] used to park the bus, yes, but we won legally. When I watch Arsenal play right now, they depend solely on corner kicks.
“You have spent almost a billion, Mikel Arteta, almost a billion. And you’re telling me the only way you can win games is through corner kicks? It’s ridiculous.”
“For me, everytime I watch them during the corner kicks, during set pieces, what they do during set pieces, for me, it’s illegal. You can’t do that.
“First of all, they’re impeding the goalkeeper and now they start holding players. When you hold a player, when you impede a player jumping.
“I watched the game against Chelsea when they played against us. Declan Rice was grabbing the left-back, he was holding him so he couldn’t jump. How can the referee not see that? Even if the ball goes in, how can VAR not see that?
“And for me, the PGMOL, they need to come out and they need to straight away stop this because if they don’t stop this, a whole bunch of teams are going to start doing it. And for me, it’s illegal. So that is what I mean, that Arsenal are trying to cheat their way to winning the Premier League.”
John Terry Defends Arsenal Amid Criticism
Terry has now had his say on Arsenal and their antics from set-pieces. The 45-year-old disagrees with his former Chelsea teammate’s claims and defended Arsenal. Taking to TikTok, he said:
“I just want to talk set plays and set piece coaches as we’ve been hearing a lot about in recent weeks. There’s been a lot of rubbish said about Arsenal and there being an asterisk next to them if they go on to win the title, which is absolutely ridiculous. They’ve been the best team by far, and also from set-pieces they’re the best by far.
“So they’re very well drilled. The set-piece coach deserves a lot of credit, as does Mikel Arteta but the players have a big responsibility as well to do it on the pitch. The set-piece coach plays a role in identifying the gaps, so a front post space, or a back post space, but ultimately the players need to make a decision.
“You have to feel those big game moments as well. We got one of our best and most famous goals in Chelsea history when Didier (Drogba) scored from a Juan Mata corner in the Champions League final.”
He added: “So the importance is vital and players [have] to stick to those roles and responsibilities as well. But sometimes, and only sometimes, you have to make those decisions and also change your run or use someone to get yourself in between the ball and stop yourself getting marked so tight. Just to give you a little half-yard advantage on these set plays.”