Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov drew comparisons between Arsenal and an infamous Premier League side of the past after Wednesday night’s win over his old club.
Arsenal were the dominant team at the Emirates Stadium but could not find a way around a resolute United defense in open play. Both goals in The eventual 2-0 win came from second half cornerswith the Gunners now reaching 22 goals in the phase since the start of last season alone – the highest of any Premier League side in that time.
A large part of it belongs to Mikel Arteta hiring a dedicated coach to replace Nicolas Jover.
But the sets are not particularly glamorous and are seen as a harsh way to get results. It annoyed United boss Ruben Amorim and Berbatov suggested that Arsenal’s current squad is reminiscent of Stoke City under Tony Pulis, a team known for their raw power and long shots.
“The Premier League is probably the only league in the world where you have so many players around the goalkeeper, pushing, pushing, causing chaos,” Berbatov said during Amazon Prime Video coverage of the match in north London.
“(In other leagues), it’s going to be a foul. Not here. You have to be strong, and that’s probably why (Amorim) was watching from the sideline: ‘What’s going on with my goalie?'” You have to work on it.
“As we joke, Arsenal it’s the new Stoke City, depending on the set-pieces to give you the win.”
Colleague Roberto Martinez, a former Premier League manager with Wigan Athletic and Everton, echoed the Stoke comparison but suggested the onus is on other teams to figure out how to play against Arsenal’s set-pieces to eliminate them as power.
“We all suffered at Stoke and I think it’s a great honor to remember Tony Pulis and the job he did with the throws. When teams do something exceptionally well, you have to try to find a different way to defend it,” Martinez explained. .
