Arsenal signed Nicolas Goffer from Manchester City in the summer of 2021 to take over the team’s set-piece coaching job, succeeding Andreas Jorgesson.
It’s been known about the Gunners throughout the ages that the set-pieces are one of the team’s biggest flaws, but it has turned into an advantage since the arrival of Joffre, who did his part to the fullest.
Arsenal’s goals have increased from set pieces in the Premier League, with a quarter of their goals in February coming from corner kicks or set pieces.
Six of those kicks were from corner kicks, double the season prior to the 40-year-old’s arrival and made an immediate impact on the team.
Nicolas Jover had sprinted down the touchline to bark instructions at that last free kick
A lot of the ground is in the shade and wind. Not the away end with the Arsenal fans though pic.twitter.com/wEFunUp2kn
— Art de Roché (@ArtdeRoche) March 19, 2022
During Arsenal’s home win over Southampton last season, we found the trick he used to leave Brazilian defender Gabriel at the near post to clear the ball for any of his teammates inside the area.
Against Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium, we saw a trick to distract the opponent, by moving four players to the far post, while leaving Gabriel and Ben White inside the penalty area.
And in the victory over Aston Villa 3/1, Gopher used the penalty mark as a point with two players from the team, freeing up space for Thomas Partey, who scored in the opponent’s net.
There are many other examples that we have seen this season as well, Arsenal’s first goal against Crystal Palace in a 2-0 win in the first round of the Premier League, when a corner kick was played and Oleksandr Zinchenko set it up for goal scorer Gabriel Martinelli.
On the other hand, the goals that the Gunners receive from fixed balls have become a rarity after they were a headache in the head of the Gunners fans for many years.
The team held out last season until March without receiving any goals from corner balls, to show the clear role of the young coach in the Spanish team, Mikel Arteta.