Following Arsenal’s recent victory over Chelsea, where they scored two goals from corners, Premier League champion Chris Sutton remarked, “Set-piece Arsenal, again. If they pull this off, could they be the least attractive Premier League-winning team ever?”
Additionally, eleven-time champion Paul Scholes has suggested that the Gunners might be “the most boring team” to ever win the title.
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Mikel Arteta’s squad currently sits seven points ahead in the league, is in the League Cup final, has reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and is still competing in the Champions League with a favorable draw.
But is the criticism justified? If Arsenal secures the Premier League title, how would their statistics stack up against previous champions?
We consulted Opta to delve into the statistics for answers.
So far this season, Arsenal has scored 59 goals in 30 Premier League matches, averaging 1.97 goals per game.
While this pace suggests they could become the lowest-scoring champions since Leicester City a decade ago (1.79), their scoring rate surpasses that of 12 former title-winning teams, including five Manchester United squads, all three of José Mourinho’s Chelsea champions, and the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ (1.92).
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However, examining the origins of these goals—whether from open play or set pieces—reinforces the critics’ point. Out of Arsenal’s 59 goals, 24 have come from set pieces (41%), the highest percentage recorded by any Premier League champion.
It’s somewhat ironic that Sutton and Scholes have criticized Arsenal’s style since they were part of the title-winning teams known for heavily relying on set pieces. Sutton’s Blackburn in 1994-95 and Scholes’ Manchester United in 2007-08 each scored 80 goals on their way to winning the title, with 35%—a record high—stemming from dead-ball situations (28 goals).
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Arsenal supporters might argue that this high percentage highlights their team’s effectiveness at set-pieces rather than a lack of creativity in open play.
Yet, the Gunners have averaged just 1.17 goals per game from open play, with the only previous title-winning side that managed fewer being Manchester United in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992-93.
That said, is scoring from set pieces truly unattractive? Wayne Rooney doesn’t think so. On The Wayne Rooney Show, the five-time champion stated, “I’ve heard a lot of talk about Arsenal’s style, but I think they’ve been brilliant to watch. Set pieces are an essential part of football—why not utilize them?”
Even if opinions diverge, there are other methods of ‘winning ugly’ that past Premier League champions have employed.
As remarkable as Leicester’s title-winning campaign was in 2015-16, their style often lacked flair. Ten of their 68 goals came from penalties, and they recorded the fewest shots and touches in the opponent’s box on record, with 14 of their 23 victories coming by a single goal (61%).
Although “1-0 to the Arsenal” is a well-known chant, Arsenal has achieved that scoreline in only five of their 20 wins this season—significantly fewer than the 11 Chelsea managed in 2004-05 or the 10 recorded by Manchester United in 2008-09.
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As for the more contentious aspects of play, Arsenal doesn’t appear to be engaging in traditional dirty tactics. With 40 yellow cards in 30 games, they fall well short of the all-time record of 73 bookings set by Chelsea in 2014-15, and they may become just the fourth team to win the Premier League without a single red card.
In summary, while Arsenal may not be performing like Barcelona in 2008-09, their style and goal-scoring methods are not drastically different from those utilized by past title-winning teams—some of which include players who now stand as their harshest critics.