Are Arsenal’s set-piece goals illegal? Yes, if you ask Obi Mikel

Former John Obi Mikel has launched a blistering critique of Arsenal, branding the club “desperate cheats” who rely on what he described as “illegal” tactics and arguing that such an approach would make them undeserving champions of the Premier League.

The ex-midfielder, who lifted two league titles with Chelsea, also suggested that manager Mikel Arteta has limited the creative freedom of the team’s most talented players. According to Mikel, supporters might react very differently to the side’s style if they were not currently leading the standings, adding that he personally would refuse to take part in such tactics if he were part of the squad.

Speaking during a passionate rant on talkSPORT, he went even further, describing Arsenal’s football as “ridiculous,” “ugly,” and “horrible to watch.”

Statistics show that the North London club have scored 21 goals from set-pieces in league play this season, the highest total in the division. Their official figures also indicate that 35 of their 100 goals across all competitions have come from open play.

Mikel said: "When I watch Arsenal play right now, they depend solely, solely on corner kicks. You have spent almost a billion, Mikel Arteta, almost a billion. And you're telling me the only way you can win games is through corner kicks? It's ridiculous… they win it ugly. It's illegal… The creativity that they have, the potentials that they have, it's all gone out of the window. We don't see them anymore. The likes of Saka, the likes of Martinelli, the likes of Eze, Odegaard. We don't see that anymore because they depend solely on corner kicks."

However, Arsenal are far from the only club under scrutiny for their aggressive approach to dead-ball situations, as the issue has become a broader talking point across the league.

Everton F.C. drew criticism last month for crowding Manchester United F.C. goalkeeper Senne Lammens during corner kicks in a league fixture.

Meanwhile, Arne Slot has suggested that many games are no longer a “joy to watch.” Nuno Espirito Santo also criticised the situation, calling the current set-piece trend “absolutely crazy” and urging officials to review it.

Arteta's assistant gets paid for every set-piece goal

Data from the Premier League shows that the competition currently has a higher share of goals coming from set-pieces than any of Europe’s other top five leagues, surpassing them by several percentage points.