Solely three groups within the Premier League have scored fewer open-play objectives than the league leaders Arsenal to date this season.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have scored 68% of their complete objectives this season from set items, which is by a snug distance the very best proportion of any workforce in England’s high flight.
The massive stylistic shift, through which the heavy favourites for the title rely so closely on set items, and most sides adopting common lengthy throws, has sparked a widespread debate on social media and among the many most outstanding pundits.
“I used to love that dynamic of the sport,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher mentioned on a current episode of Monday Evening Soccer.
“I’m annoyed with the truth that I really feel like each workforce this season has taken a protracted throw at some stage. You see the numbers and it’s off the size.”
Carra’s common sparring companion Gary Neville responded to these feedback in his Stick To Soccer podcast:
“I assumed it was actually attention-grabbing as a result of to be truthful I disagree with the purpose, however he’s not right here – I want he was right here,” he mentioned.
“He mentioned he hates lengthy throws and any person else mentioned it yesterday. They hate lengthy throws. I’m like I really like lengthy throws.”
Carragher then took to social media to make clear his feedback, suggesting he’d been misquoted by Neville.
“For the a hundredth time I didn’t say I hate set items or lengthy throws!!!!” he posted on X.
“What I don’t like is each workforce taking lengthy throws, and the time it’s taking out of the sport. I completely get groups doing it who battle & lack high quality of getting the ball within the field, I additionally like seeing how groups. address them.”
“However groups who’ve nice technical gamers & have spent 100 tens of millions on them ought to be getting the ball in play as fast as they will to get these gamers on the ball. I’m no soccer snob however that is taking the sport backwards!”
Critics on social media have mentioned Arsenal will probably be “essentially the most boring champions ever”, whereas former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has mentioned that Arsenal’s affect has “killed the Premier League when it comes to fluid soccer and satisfying soccer.”
However do the numbers again up their argument?
Right here’s the total Premier League desk for open play objectives scored in 2025-26 to date:
Be aware: to create this desk, we’ve used our sister web site Football365 and their sensible Premier League Tables useful resource – a goldmine for creating and exploring customized tables.
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