Revealed: The unseen Arsenal dark arts and why they’re far more widespread than you realise – and why they go unpunished
If it were not already clear, Arsenal like to take things slow. What better way to strangle your opponent, grind them into submission than by never giving them the chance to find their stride.
And if they are to take their crown as kings of Europe, Mikel Arteta’s side must find a way to stifle the most thrilling, attacking sides on the continent in Paris-Saint Germain.
We know their main way of doing it is through set-pieces. The Gunners are the best around from dead-ball situations. While it’s their most potent attacking weapon, it’s also their best way of taking time out of the game.
Arsenal spent more than 44 seconds getting ready to take corners this season, the longest delayers in the Premier League. That jumps to nearly 48 seconds in the Champions League, at least five seconds more than any other team. PSG take 30 seconds. Arsenal know it’s their best chance of scoring, so why not take your time to get it right and if it frustrates your opponent and builds their nerves too then all the better.
Arsenal are the best around from dead-ball situations. While it’s their most potent attacking weapon, it’s also their best way of taking time out of the game
What better way to strangle your opponent, grind them into submission than by never giving them the chance to find their stride
| Team | Average delay (secs) |
|---|---|
| ARSENAL | 47.8 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 42.3 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 41 |
| Club Brugge | 39 |
| FC Copenhagen, Liverpool, Newcastle United | 38 |
Once they go ahead, they take 14 seconds longer than usual to restart play from dead-ball situations. Their average delay time from all set-pieces of 31 seconds in the Champions League is the second-longest in the competition behind Frankfurt.
By now, this comes as no surprise. Even if opponents can’t stop it, they know it’s coming. And yet while everyone focuses on Arsenal’s set-pieces and how long it takes them to get on with things, Arteta has crafted his Gunners into masters of the dark arts in other, sneakier ways.
One of the reasons why Arsenal boast such a phenomenal defence is not just because they have the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel to snuff out opposition strikers, or head away crosses into the box, but because they are better than anyone at stopping attacks at source, by means fair or foul. Certainly the latter.
Forty percent of Arsenal’s fouls come in their attacking third of the pitch, the most of any side in the Premier League this season. Despite only five Premier League sides conceding fewer fouls than Arsenal across the entire pitch, only Brighton have done so more in the final third.
| Team | % of fouls |
|---|---|
| ARSENAL | 40 |
| Newcastle United | 39 |
| Brentford | 38 |
| Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City | 37 |
Whenever the opponent looks to spring into life, Arsenal find a way to shut it down. They are among the highest for tactical fouls upon losing possession in the top flight. And, more often than not, it costs them nothing. Guess which side was shown the fewest yellow cards in the Premier League least season? Yep, Arsenal.
PSG have felt this before. Of the three times Arsenal played the French giants in the Champions League last season, they made 25 fouls in the PSG half and only nine in their own. Whenever PSG won the ball deep in their own half and tried to start an attack, an Arsenal foul would soon follow to break up the flow.
The pitchmap of Arsenal’s fouls in the 1-0 defeat at the Emirates in April last year shows just how often the Gunners would nip attacks in the bud whenever PSG tried to get forward in wide areas.
Arsenal’s ‘fouls map’ against Paris Saint-Germain in the home semi-final last April. Mikel Arteta’s side are kicking left to right
A fine example from that game came just after the first quarter of an hour when PSG played the ball into deadly winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but before he could even get on the ball and turn, Jurrien Timber was straight through the back of him to concede a foul.
No booking and Arsenal had time to get back in position and reset.
And again, just after the hour, Desire Doue skips past a couple of Arsenal players inside his own half. Leandro Trossard tries to bring him down but fails, so does Gabriel Martinelli, but then, at last, Mikel Merino is able to hack him before the halfway line.
No yellow card. Arsenal can reset again.
Sometimes it’s not even on the ball. Not long after, PSG break away on the far side but, away from prying eyes, Myles Lewis-Skelly hauls down Doue as he tracks back and carries on running.
Even in the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over them early in the campaign, Bukayo Saka steps in to stop flying full-back Nuno Mendes from setting PSG free down the left. No yellow card, Arsenal can reset.
Anything to win. One of the finest examples comes late in the victory at Everton in December with Arsenal 1-0 up heading towards second-half stoppage time. An overhit pass runs away from Martinelli and out of play towards the advertising hoardings.
Just to make sure Everton can’t get the ball back in play quickly, the Arsenal winger punts another ball perched off its pitchside cone and away. Time for Arsenal to reset.
Under Arteta, Arsenal have turned interruption into a weapon. Will it be enough to fire them to glory?
