Why the Premier League has gone back to the future

Set pieces and long throws are back with a vengeance as clubs revive old-school tactics.

- By Matt Verri

There is an argument that next month's north London derby should be played as the first ever set-piece shootout. Picture the scene. Arsenal and Tottenham alternating between attacking and defending dead-ball situations. Set-piece coaches Nicolas Jover and Andreas Georgson marshalling things from the touchline as Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank proudly watch on.

A huge roar goes around Emirates Stadium, as though a penalty has been missed, when Mohammed Kudus swings in a corner but Micky van de Ven heads over. Advantage Arsenal in sudden death, then Gabriel towers above Guglielmo Vicario to seal victory. Welcome to the 2025-26 Premier League season, where a record-breaking 19 per cent of all goals have been scored from corners. Add in penalties, free kicks and long throws and there has never been a better time to have a CV titled "set-piece coach".

Arsenal have scored nine goals from set pieces, averaging one a game. Spurs sit third in that particular ranking with five. They are both effective exponents of those situations but everyone is having a go. That includes Thomas Tuchel as he puts together England's World Cup plans. "I told you - the long throw-in is back," he said last month.