Arsenal - Crystal Palace: What must be done to stop the 'Gunners'?

26/10/2025 08:23:00 GameGladiator

Arsenal secured an impressive win against Atletico Madrid. The 'Gunners' have maintained four straight clean sheets and have only conceded one shot on target in their last three games. They have also netted 10 goals from set-piece situations this season.

Beating Arsenal has become a tough task for teams this season. So, how can they be prevented from winning?

A rock-solid defense

When Arsenal overcame Real Madrid with a 5-1 aggregate score in April, it was seen as a moment they rose to European prominence under Mikel Arteta’s leadership. Six months later, Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone faced a similar fate.

The similarity between the two matches against Madrid teams is clear: Declan Rice made an impact from two set-piece situations. Arsenal earned a deserved victory thanks to control rather than chaos, which is another shared trait.

They faced a Simeone side — one of the shrewdest teams in Europe over the past decade. Atletico performed well, especially for nearly an hour, playing a tough, resilient style capable of earning a good result. However, Arsenal blew them away, adding a touch of Simeone’s own style.

Arsenal’s defense has been nearly impenetrable — and this is not the first time this season. Only one shot on target was produced by the team that once scored five goals against Real Madrid in La Liga. In the last three games, goalkeeper David Raya has made just one save. Only one player has scored against Arsenal from open play this season — Erling Haaland.

Conceding just three goals in 12 matches is Arsenal’s lowest tally at the start of a season in their history. They have kept nine clean sheets. Compared to the famous defenses of George Graham or Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s current backline is operating at an even higher level.

Set pieces remain an effective weapon

Not only defensively, but Arsenal also excel in set-piece situations. In 12 matches, they have scored 10 goals from these chances. The game against Atletico marked the fourth time this season they scored twice from dead-ball situations in a single match. Despite opponents’ strong defense, Arteta’s team continues to find ways to score from set pieces. Almost every game, goals from set pieces have become inevitable for Arsenal.

Arsenal’s set pieces pose a complex challenge for European teams

“I’m a Liverpool fan, and whenever Arsenal get a corner, I just hold my head,” Jamie Carragher admitted earlier this week. He added, “I’ve never seen anything like this in football before. I think the entire football world feels that whenever they get a corner, they’re going to score.”

Carragher’s concern is well-founded. Since the start of the 2023/24 season, Arteta’s side has scored 43 goals from set pieces in the league, more than 10 goals ahead of the second-best team in that period.

Leading the threat from set pieces is Gabriel. The Brazilian center-back has scored 22 goals since joining Arsenal in 2020, more than any other center-back in Europe’s top five leagues during that time.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told TNT Sports: “You know what Gabriel will do, but you just can’t stop him.”

This threat didn’t emerge out of nowhere. Coach Nicolas Jover has played a crucial role in improving Arsenal’s set-piece execution, proving the club’s decision to bring him from Man City in 2021 was the right one.

Before Jover’s arrival last season, Arsenal scored only 6 goals from set pieces — the third worst record in the league. But in the last two seasons, they have netted a total of 42 goals from set pieces, leading the league in this category both years.

Declan Rice has surprisingly become one of the most dangerous players in the world from set pieces over the past 20 months. His latest assist against Atletico was his 10th from set-piece situations across all competitions since joining Arsenal — only Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter Milan (11) has more among Europe’s major leagues.

What makes this number even more impressive is that Rice did not regularly take set pieces until the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace in January 2024, more than five months after joining Arsenal.

Set pieces have been and will remain a central part of Arsenal’s attacking threat. Arteta will not change this style as long as it remains effective. This also presents a challenge for other teams: how can they stop the 'Gunners' at this moment?

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