Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has openly acknowledged the threat posed by Arsenal’s set pieces, especially after watching how the Gunners repeatedly attacked Inter Milan’s defence through dead-ball situations in their recent Champions League encounter. Arsenal, with the help of a dedicated set-piece coach, has developed a reputation for capitalising on these opportunities, often turning corners and free kicks into serious scoring chances.
Despite Arsenal’s pressure, Inter Milan managed to effectively neutralise these set-piece threats, providing a possible blueprint for other teams to follow. Maresca, speaking ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming derby with Arsenal, admitted that Chelsea will need to be particularly vigilant against Arsenal’s set-piece prowess. In his pre-match press conference, as quoted by the Daily Mail, he stated, “We’re going to try to make life difficult for them. Set pieces, they are very good. I watched the Champions League game against Inter Milan, and every corner was smelling of a goal. They are top on that, and we are going to try to deal with that in the best way.”
The memory of Chelsea’s previous heavy 5-0 defeat to Arsenal lingers for Maresca, and he emphasised the team’s desire to take a different approach this time around. Reflecting on that painful loss, he continued, “That game was a big, huge defeat for us, for the club. Hopefully we can do something different.”
Arsenal’s reliance on set pieces has become evident, and as Maresca highlights, this dependency might now work against them if teams like Inter continue to expose their predictability in this area. If Chelsea can replicate Inter’s disciplined approach, Arsenal might find it challenging to score from set pieces in future matches. This growing focus on Arsenal’s tactics suggests it may be time for the Gunners to diversify their attacking strategies, ensuring they remain effective even when opponents are well-prepared to defend against set plays.
