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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons

‘Identify weaknesses and exploit them’: the rise of the set-piece coach

Nicolas Jover Arsenal Dean Smith Nico Mikel Arteta Chelsea Aston Villa Brentford Tottenham Villa
Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover
The Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was brought in from Manchester City – where he also worked with Mikel Arteta. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

It is a spectacle increasingly common in Premier League technical areas. Whenever a free-kick or corner is awarded, managers are joined by another figure who wildly gesticulates and shouts instructions at his team’s players for a few seconds before taking his seat again in the dugout.

Thanks largely to the exploits of Arsenal’s Nicolas Jover, the set-piece coach’s stock has never been higher. Two goals from corners in last weekend’s north London derby mean Mikel Arteta’s side have equalled the Premier League record of 16 set by West Brom in 2016-17, managed by a certain Tony Pulis, and have 22 in total from set pieces – four more than their nearest rivals, Everton. Arsenal have also conceded only six, second to Manchester City (two), where Jover was replaced by Carlos Vicens in 2021.

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