“Don’t even get me started,” Graeme Souness yells in a rage, demanding Arsenal step in.
Gunners legend Graeme Souness has accused Arsenal of using dark arts during set pieces and has called for VAR to step in due to Ben White’s antics in the penalty area.
Roberto De Zerbi has said he wants to stay at Brighton ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Ben White’s behavior during set pieces following the intense North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur has drawn criticism from Liverpool legend Graeme Souness. White’s aggressive play, which included attempts to tamper with Spurs’ shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicarion’s gloves, helped the Gunners scrape out an exciting 3-2 victory.
The right-back for Arsenal constantly interfered with the goalie during corner kicks, helping his team score from set pieces. Since West Brom in the 2016–17 season, Arsenal has scored the most goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season.
Nicolas Jover, the club’s master of set pieces who came from Manchester City last year, has garnered a lot of recognition for his impact. Souness, on the other hand, is unconvinced and believes that the Gunners ought to be held accountable for their strategies.
The former captain of Liverpool expressed his opinions clearly in his Daily Mail column, as reported by the Mirror: “I’ve heard a lot of talk about the ‘genius’ of Arsenal’s so-called set-piece ‘guru’ and the incredible work he’s played in the team’s push for the title.” “Pardon me for popping this bubble, but in the midst of all the hoopla surrounding the goals Tottenham gave up from corners last week, something extremely important was inadvertently overlooked. Two of those objectives weren’t supposed to count.
“We are witnessing a stealthy, very deliberate, strategy from Arsenal – and Ben White in particular – to obstruct goalkeepers in a way which will avoid detection by the referees.” “Might I suggest the referees consult their own little FA rule books for a definition of that term?” Souness continued. “Moving into the opponent’s path to obstruct, block, slow down, or force a change of direction when the ball is not within playing distance of either player” is what Law 12 clearly and concisely defines as obstruction.
“‘Master of the set’? Referees face a challenge because players are blocking set-pieces more frequently than in the past.However, White always does this for Arsenal during games, so the realization should have come sooner.”
Arsenal has been employing this offensive pattern since Mikel Arteta and Nicolas Jover, the set-piece coach, joined the team. Two seasons ago was that.Not to mention the fact that the VAR officials are present as well, sitting in their cozy booth and carrying cameras that should be alerting Arsenal to this every time.”
