Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler is pretty confident about his team's chances of restricting Arsenal's set piece strength when both sides meet in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, October 29.
Arsenal's supremecy in set-pieces
The Gunners seem to have mastered the art of scoring from set-pieces. They scored 22 set piece goals (not counting penalties) in the Premier League last season, the most in the division. They have picked up from where they have left off, amassing 11 goals through set-piece as of now in the season, two more than any other side (Chelsea are second with nine goals).
Interestingly, the only goal in their last game - a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace came through a set piece. Gabriel Magalhaes appears to be the player to look out for when defending set-pieces against Arsenal, with the Brazilian having been involved in most of their goals from such situations.
Fabian Hurzeler's reflects on plan to stop Arsenal's set-piece threat
Speaking in a press conference, Hurzeler expressed his view on how to tackle Arsenal's threat in set-pieces. The German coach thinks nullifying the Gunners' aerial threat from set-pieces needs more than man-marking. He noted that Arsenal's collective move makes them one of the toughest teams in such situations. He then mentioned that his team's defense is quite strong to prevent the league leaders from scoring set pieces.
When questioned about he intends to stop skipper Magalhaes' danger in set-pieces, Hirzeler responded:
“You can’t defend them one-against-one, that’s the first thing. The second thing, I think it’s not only Gabriel [who provides a threat], it’s the movement they do together. I think they block very well for each other. They have really good patterns and the other side is also that we are quite good in defending. When we look at our defending record statistic this season, we are quite good. We also try to build a set-piece culture. This needs time and doesn’t come overnight.
“When we look at Arsenal, they are one of the first teams in the league who had a set-piece coach, and they work now on these topics for several months, for over several years, and you can now see the results of all this work. So, I think it’s getting more important these set pieces in the Premier League. So, we have to adapt and be ready but we are quite confident that we are able to defend this set piece against them.”
Mikel Arteta gives update on two key Arsenal players
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Arteta confirmed that Saliba and Martinelli will miss the game against the Seagulls because of injuries. On Saliba, the Gunners boss said:
"He's out. We are assessing him, but he won't be involved in this match."
On Martinelli's fitness, Arteta added:
"It looks like he's going to be out as well. We have to do some more tests and see the extent of the injury, but this game is going to be too early for him."
Winger Bukayo Saka is not certain for the game after pulling out from the game against Crystal Palace because of illness.
"He is going to be fine," Arteta said of the England international.
However, there was positive news for Arsenal fans as Arteta disclosed that Calafiori and Rice will both be available for selection. Tomorrow's clash against Brightonwill be Arsenal's 250th game in the history of the Carabao Cup. The Gunners defeated Port Vale in the third round to set up a clash with Fabioan Hurzeler's men.