Former Man Utd star discovers Arsenal from set pieces with unflattering comparison

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has drawn comparisons between Arsenal and an infamous Premier League side of yesteryear following Wednesday night's victory over his former side.

Arsenal were the dominant team at the Emirates Stadium, but failed to find their way through a newly resolute United defense in open play. The two goals of the final 2-0 victory came from corners in the second halfwith the Gunners now reaching 22 goals from set pieces since the start of last season alone – the highest of any Premier League club over this period.

Much of this comes down to Mikel Arteta hires dedicated set-piece coach Nicolas Jover.

But set pieces are not particularly glamorous and are seen as a concrete way to get results. This angered United boss Ruben Amorim. and Berbatov suggested the current Arsenal are reminiscent of Stoke City under Tony Pulis, a team known for their brute strength and long touches.

“The Premier League is probably the only league in the world where there are so many players around the goalkeeper, pushing, shoving, causing chaos,” Berbatov said at the press conference. Amazon Prime Video coverage of the match in north London.

“[In other leagues]It's going to be a mistake. Not here. You have to be strong, and that's probably why [Amorim] looked sideways: “What's going on with my guardian?” You have to work on this.

“As we joke, Arsenal is the new Stoke City, depending on set pieces to give you victory.”

His colleague Roberto Martinez, a former Premier League manager with Wigan Athletic and Everton, echoed the Stoke comparison, but suggested it was up to other teams to figure out how to play against Arsenal's set-pieces to l eliminate as a force.

“We all suffered at Stoke, and I think it's a great honor to remember Tony Pulis and the work he did with the touches. When teams do something exceptionally well, you have to try to find a different way to defend it,” Martinez explained.

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