Pep Guardiola delivers Manchester City verdict on Arsenal’s set-piece heroics | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given his two cents on Arsenal’s success from set-pieces under former City assistant Mikel Arteta.

Arteta’s side are four points clear at the top of the Premier League and look set to stake a strong claim for the title this season, having finished as runners-up to Manchester City and Liverpool in recent years.

Much of Arsenal’s success of late has come down to their ability to score from set-pieces, with several clubs across the Premier League taking note of Arsenal’s dead-ball prowess and adding the same to their respective arsenals.

Manchester City face Swansea City in the Carabao Cup fourth-round on Wednesday evening as the Blues look to return to winning ways after their unbeaten run ended at nine games in all competitions against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Speaking on a wider impetus on set-pieces across the Premier League ahead of the trip to Wales, Guardiola said: “Every manager does what they believe. Of course, I’m not concerned, but I’m focused on that, I want to score in free-kicks, in corners, of course, I’m not naive in that. I want it.

“But what I spend my time (on), I spend time on what we have to do to play better, and defend better, and become better, and attack better, and create the chances, and the one against one in front of the keeper to score goals, defensively you have to be more aggressive in the duels, and all the aspects that I see the game.

“Of course, I pay attention, but I know I’m the manager to try to do what I have done in my career. And now, of course, when we are not good and it’s a threat like Spurs, like what happened with Thomas Frank in Bramford and now with Spurs, scoring three goals and two goals was in set pieces, and the goal disallowed for Everton was in a corner again.

“So all three goals, one disallowed, two was in set pieces, it’s a reality. I’m not, I said, naive to say I don’t pay attention, of course. I don’t want to concede the goals and most of the goals come from there, you know, from these kind of actions, and the people I’m pretty sure spend a lot of time there.”

City conceded from a situation arising from a corner at the weekend as Matty Cash’s 19th minute strike from the edge of the box was the difference between Unai Emery’s men and Manchester City, who failed to deal with the Villains’ set-piece threat.

“The goal we conceded in Aston Villa was a corner, and another chance, we have chances, at Aston Villa was a corner,” Guardiola added.

“And the other chances was one transition, because we didn’t control well the positions like it happened in Al-Hilal in the (Club) World Cup, but the rest we were really, really good in Aston Villa.

“So I know that, I know it’s an important situation, the reality. Maybe that happened when I arrived, maybe against Burnley or maybe with those teams it didn’t happen. And now it’s a fact. And of course, you have to pay attention to that. But still I dream to work a lot and play; when they have the ball, what we have to do, or when we have the ball, what we have to do.”

City have turned a corner since September after making a horror start to the season but the Blues have gotten their act together in recent months, though the jury is still out on whether Guardiola and co can mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title this term.