Thomas Frank has admitted he’s been watching Arsenal closely for their set-pieces this season – which currently sees them sitting top of the Premier League – but he’s admired Mikel Arteta’s work in that department for some time now.
Frank saw his Tottenham side emerge 3-0 victors against Everton on Sunday afternoon, with Micky van de Ven’s double and a Pape Matar Sarr goal sealing the win.
Tottenham’s game followed their bitter rivals Arsenal’s victory on Super Sunday, with the Gunners edging past Crystal Palace thanks to an Eberechi Eze strike.
One thing both clubs had in common in their victories, though, was the power of a dead ball – something Frank reflected on after the game.
Thomas Frank on Arsenal and Tottenham set-piece successes
Speaking post-match to the BBC, Frank said how “crucial” set-pieces are becoming in the Premier League, and that he’s taken notice of just how well Arsenal are utilising them.
He said: “Set-pieces are so crucial. We all see it; there’s more and more focus on it. Right now, Arsenal are on track for the title from set-pieces. So it’s a key area.
“I said from the beginning we want to focus hard on it, and we scored two very good goals. The boys competed excellently in our box.”
Arteta’s side have been dominant from set-pieces this season. Eze’s goal against Crystal Palace means Arsenal have now scored eleven set-piece goals in the Premier League – more than eight teams have managed in total.
Arteta himself claimed earlier in the week that he’s had an “obsession” with set-pieces for around a decade.
He said: “Ten years ago I said it’s a massive thing to do that (master set-pieces). I started to have a vision and tried to implement a method, and to be surrounded by the best people to deliver that.
“I went to City with the best manager in the world and I could see where we could have improvements. It was clear because at some point I was doing that (working on set-pieces) and I wasn’t the best person in the world to do it.
“So if I’m not the best person in the world to do it and have the best method to do it, there are ways to improve it. And you could see that straight afterwards when it started to happen.
“But it’s not about being only obsessed with that. It’s the eagerness to constantly find ways to develop your team, to evolve your team, and to give your players more tools to be more unpredictable and, especially, more efficient.”
Thomas Frank admired Mikel Arteta’s tactics at Brentford
It isn’t just this season that Spurs’ manager has taken notice of his fellow north London boss’s methods. While at Brentford, Frank hailed Arsenal as the best set-piece team in world football.
Speaking in 2024, he said via the Premier League: “Arsenal are the best set-piece team not only in the Premier League but in the world right now. They are so aggressive and well-coached – but we are also good at set-pieces and we will be ready.”
Frank and Arteta may differ in many ways, but one thing they certainly share is a love for the art of a set-piece – and both sides reaped the rewards on Sunday.