England star's Arsenal assessment is right - it's time to stop the set-piece snobbery

It was refreshing to hear Ezri Konsa talk about set-pieces while on England duty. The Aston Villa defender lauded the way Arsenal have used free kicks and corners as another weapon in their armoury. Konsa, such a good and thoughtful talker, also referenced Brentford’s long throws as another tool in Premier League football and praised Villa’s own set-piece coach Austin MacPhee. Interestingly, someone pointed out that England scored nine of their 12 goals at the 2018 from set-pieces. See? Gareth Southgate really was ahead of the curve. It also shows you that, for all the set-piece snobbery and jibes, the players have respect for what is going on not just in the Premier League but in most of Europe’s top leagues. If you have something that works for you, why on earth would you not use it and champion it? It is utterly bizarre. Did I used to enjoy watching Arsene Wenger ’s Invincibles and their style, skill and power more than the current Arsenal team? I admit that I did. But that in no way is dismissive of what Mikel Arteta is doing with his Arsenal team. Arteta is a brilliant coach and if he spots something that can be exploited then he will do it. Arsenal are brilliant at set-pieces, it is a reason why they are top of the Premier League and free kicks, corners and throws will be huge for England next summer. You cannot always play high energy, high press and high momentum football. You have to mix it up. That is what the best teams are doing in the Premier League right now. And to hear ex-players, pundits and commentators deride those tactics is just bizarre. Yes, we all want to see the best, free-flowing champagne football. But to claim it is now rubbish and not worth watching is just bizarre. It’s just different. I have no idea why Arteta gets prickly about questions on set-pieces. I guess it’s because there are generally so many and he probably feels it’s not just about set-pieces. They can play good football, too. But Arteta should be proud and go on the front foot. It’s the same with Arsenal fans, although the match-going fans do enjoy chanting: “Set piece again, ole, ole.” And so they should. Football snobs are becoming more and more common. But really they are showing that they are simply not moving with the times or the trends. And it’s obvious the current craze will soon be yesterday’s news because innovators like Arteta and Pep Guardiola always change and evolve. That is why they are so good - no matter what anyone says. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.