There has been some misunderstanding regarding the extent of Nicolas Jover’s impact as a set-piece expert after Arsenal’s resounding 3-0 victory over Real Madrid. Declan Rice stole the show before Mikel Merino gave the finishing touch. He scored his first-ever free-kick and then doubled it up shortly after.
As Rice and Martin Odegaard hovered over the dead ball in the moments before the opening, Mikel Arteta’s go-to assistant was spotted making agitated gestures on the sidelines. Since Arsenal has scored more set-piece goals than any other club in the Premier League this season, praise has frequently been given to Jover for his keen attention to detail, which has been crucial to their quest for trophies. Below, you can see Rice’s second free kick:
However, this time, things didn’t quite go as planned. Although it appeared that another masterclass was taking place, it turned out that there was a slight discrepancy between Jover’s instructions and Rice’s execution. As a result, for once, Arsenal’s set-piece guru may not have been the mastermind behind the magic, but not many will be complaining with goals like that.
Declan Rice Ignored Set-piece Specialist’s Instructions
The Englishman took matters into his own hands on this occasion
At first, Jover was praised by Arsenal fans since it appeared that he told Rice to curl his effort around the Real Madrid wall. See his irate gestures below:
However, Rice disclosed that Jover was telling the midfielder to choose a cross over a shot in an interview with Amazon Prime following the final whistle and the inevitable prolonged celebrations that ensued. See the entire interview below to hear what he had to say:
“We were going to cross the ball, but when I talked to [Bukayo Saka], he told me to go for it if you’re feeling it. It didn’t make sense to cross the wall when I saw the keeper. Bukayo told me to take it, but Nicolas Jover insisted that I cross it. I took over and declared, “I’m going to hit this,” to B.
Given Jover’s success with set pieces this season, it took a lot of guts to go against the script, but this time, Rice’s confidence paid off handsomely. By following his gut instead of following instructions, the midfielder produced a magical moment that put Arsenal one step closer to ending their illustrious wait for European hardware. They still have to travel to the Bernabeu before confirming their place as semi-finalists in the second-leg next week, but because they take a 3-0 lead — a deficit that Real Madrid has never overcome in a Champions League knockout game — they can feel confident of completing a historic victory over the defending champions.
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