Before their encounter with Bayern Munich, Arsenal had netted exactly half of their 24 goals this season from set-piece situations. Jurrien Timber scored another goal just 22 minutes into the match against the German champions following a well-executed corner practiced by Arsenal.

Bayern were aware of this danger, with striker Harry Kane cautioning against giving Arsenal corners and Joshua Kimmich noting that Arsenal “depend on set-pieces” and “favor long balls”.

Nevertheless, Bayern failed to neutralize Arsenal’s approach, which many Premier League sides are starting to implement due to its clear effectiveness.

In an interview with Tribal Football through Sports Casting, Yakubu was questioned about whether Arsenal rely too heavily on set-pieces, a concern expressed by many opposing fans.

“It doesn’t matter how you win your matches. You have to find a way to get the win. I remember back in the day when you went to Stoke City where Rory Delap used to take long throw-ins, and it’s the same now.

“If you compare the Premier League now to last year, teams are playing more long balls, unlike before when they focused on passing. Most teams now have to play long balls. So you aim for the second ball, the third ball.”

Arteta has established his approach

Arsenal lead both the Premier League and Champions League tables. It’s clear their tactics are effective, and even when opponents recognize their strengths, they still struggle to defend against threats like corners and free kicks.

Yakubu thinks a team’s style is determined by the manager, and Arsenal’s coach has clearly found his identity in North London as he continues to excel not only in England but throughout Europe.

“The game is evolving daily. You can’t just keep passing endlessly. You want to win matches. So it’s your choice. Want to play fancy football? You might not win trophies. Play fancy football and get relegated? That’s your decision. Then you get fired.

“Nowadays, teams are playing excellent football. Passing short, long, short, long. The goalkeeper also needs to be very skilled with his feet. It’s better now than it used to be.”