Ex-Premier League striker Michael Owen claims he wouldn’t have even contemplated selecting Declan Rice as a set-piece taker if he was Arsenal manager.

Rice got two assists from set plays during the 6-0 victory against West Ham but Owen says that the England international’s height means he would never have come to the same conclusion as Arteta to put him on corners and free-kicks:

“I wouldn’t even consider it. Yes, technically he is great. But the size of him. He is 6 foot 3. You are wasting someone. I would be thinking to myself ‘I am not wasting him on set-pieces. He needs to be in the box scoring goals. And the very least, if he’s not going to be heading the ball and scoring a goal. I want him, someone with a defensive mind, that is going to be on the edge of the box and stopping any counter-attacks.”

“So, the last thing I think is (he should be taking set-pieces), so he must be incredibly talented to take set-pieces and take him out of those areas. He has this pace and whip, hasn’t he?! It’s not an easy technique, but he has it to a tee.”

Arsenal do things differently to other teams at set pieces

The Gunners have been phenomenally successful at scoring from corners and other set plays in recent years and that is down to their specialist set piece coach Nicolas Jover.

Since joining Arteta at the Emirates back in 2019, Jover has masterminded a vast improvement in the number of goals scored from set plays. Numerous tactics are worked upon in training but it’s likely he has a big say in who makes the deliveries too.

Arteta seems happy to delegate responsibility and trust the coaches below him. Other managers would have insisted on Rice being in the box to use his height but the decision to make him the set-piece taker has started to pay off.