Monaco found a clever way to foil Arsenal’s clinical corner routines during Wednesday’s Champions League clash.
The Ligue 1 side crashed to a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates thanks to a double from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz’s late strike.
It may have been a dour night for Adi Hutter’s men but the Austrian tactician may just have handed the Gunners’ title rivals an upper hand.
That’s because the Principality side produced a finely executed game plan to thwart Arsenal’s new-found corner routine which proved to be successful in last week’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
And it appears Hutter’s attention to detail in training paid off as the Gunners, whose new tactic saw them dubbed ‘the new Stoke’, failed to take advantage of any of their corners with all three goals coming from open play.
Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed Monaco’s clever tactic of leaving three players up from each corner, forcing Arsenal to move players back to cover any possible counter-attacking threat.
Hutter knew that with the blistering pace of young Monaco duo Eliesse Ben Seghir and Maghnes Akliouche, the Gunners would have to think twice about flooding their opponents box .
The tactic may have thrown boss Mikel Arteta a curveball but luckily for the Spaniard, his side’s efficiency in other areas proved too much for Monaco.
Arteta has set-piece coach Nicolas Jover to thank for the club’s innovative new ways to get one up on their opponents.
And it’s not just Arteta that holds the Frenchman in high esteem as fans have created a mural of Jover and pinned it up outside the Emirates.
It proves that the tide is turning and that the work of backroom staff, who usually go under the radar, is now being seen by the wider fanbase.
Speaking after Wednesday’s match, Arteta said: “Well, very happy with the win, with a clean sheet, with the fact that we had to change a few players, players that haven’t played much. They still performed really well and put us in a good position in the group.
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“We should have obviously scored four or five in the first half. This wasn’t the case, and this is the Champions League. The level of opposition is really high.
“We scored the second goal, after the game was in our control. I think the subs helped us as well in the right moments, so overall very positive.”
The Gunners now turn their attention to domestic duties with the visit of Everton on Saturday.
Arteta side will be hoping to bounce back from Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham and build momentum over the festive period.
Arsenal sit six points adrift of leaders Liverpool having played a game more and can ill-afford any more slip-ups.
They do, however, boast a favourable run of fixtures that could go some way to determining where they sit as the title race enters into a critical phase in the new year.
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Games against Crystal Palace, Ipswich, Brentford and Brighton follow Saturday’s meeting with Sean Dyche’s side.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are well placed to qualify directly for the Champions League round-of-16 stage, having picked up 13 points from their opening six fixtures.