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In a pointed critique of England's anticipated approach at the 2026 World Cup, Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman took an unsolicited shot at Arsenal, asserting that the Champions League finalists owed their Premier League title entirely to goals scored from corner kicks.
Koeman is no stranger to English football, having spent 15 months at the helm of Everton, the club where Mikel Arteta previously played. The former Barcelona manager has been monitoring the Premier League title race from his position with the Dutch national team and, while assessing Dutch players competing in the division, determined that Arsenal's end to 22 years of heartbreak could be attributed to a single tactic.
"I think Arsenal became champions through corners," Koeman told reporters ahead of a pre-World Cup training camp, "otherwise they wouldn't have made it."
Arsenal's set-piece prowess is hardly a surprise. The Gunners have been among the league's dead-ball experts for several seasons, with set-piece coach Nicolas Jover's animated presence in the technical area becoming a familiar sight at every game. Other Premier League managers have voiced frustration over Arsenal's approach in this area, while Koeman's fellow Dutchman Arne Slot has lamented how the fixation on set pieces has spread throughout a division he no longer finds enjoyable to watch.
There is little question that dead balls have been central to Arsenal's rise. Up to nine of the club's Premier League wins during the 2025–26 season were influenced in some way by goals from corner kicks. Without that advantage, the Gunners would have accumulated just 65 points rather than the 85 they ultimately secured.
How Mikel Arteta's Obsession With Set Pieces Formed
Arteta began placing emphasis on set pieces early in his time at Arsenal. During his first summer with the club in 2020, the Spaniard oversaw the appointment of Brentford specialist Andreas Georgson. The results, however, were not immediately apparent. The Gunners managed just six set-piece goals throughout the 2020–21 season, the third-lowest figure in the Premier League.
After being elevated from head coach to manager, Arteta gained the authority to bring in Jover, whose work he had witnessed directly during his time at Manchester City. Since that appointment in 2021, Arsenal have been unmatched when it comes to dead-ball situations.
Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke points to an NFL game as the catalyst for Arteta's set-piece revelation. "There's been a lot of conversation about set pieces this year," Kroenke reflected on the club's official YouTube channel. "Mikel Arteta was watching an NFL game and he broke it down in a way that I had never heard before and he goes, 'Every play is a set piece, every play is choreographed, every play is a set piece.' And you could see him start to go into his mode where [he thinks], 'How do we apply this?'
"I know he had already unleashed many ideas at that point but he's always constantly looking. I took him to a hockey game, [he said], 'Look at the triangles on the ice, they form triangles everywhere up the ice, we have to get down there, I'd love to meet the coach.'
"He sees it through his own way where he can break it down and he might not know how it's going to relate to what he wants to do, but he wants to apply it in some way."
England Lumped in With Arsenal Dig
Koeman's dig at Arsenal came in response to a question regarding the style of football expected during the scorching conditions of this summer's World Cup. The Dutch manager expressed little optimism about the prospect of entertaining football and noted that England's squad selections had already signaled their intention to lean on set pieces.
"I do think that intensity probably will be a bit less," Koeman said. "I don't believe you'll get matches like Paris [Saint-Germain] against Bayern [Munich]. Especially the first match. And you can see it with England as well and the choices in the roster. They are going to rely on set pieces, throw-ins and corners. That will be important, because that takes no energy. But has a lot of effect."
Thomas Tuchel certainly has the players to thrive from the very type of corners that Arsenal have mastered; largely because he has their set-piece deliverers at his disposal. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are both anticipated to feature from the start for England this summer, where their corner deliveries could prove just as decisive as their contributions in open play.