Arsenal Double Down on Set-Piece Expertise with Gronnemark Appointment

Arsenal's investment in set-piece mastery shows no signs of slowing, with the club now enlisting throw-in specialist Thomas Gronnemark to work alongside their existing specialists at the training ground.

The north London outfit have constructed a squad perfectly suited to dominating dead-ball situations. Their back four, save Jurrien Timber, all exceed six feet in height, while midfielders Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, plus forward Viktor Gyokeres, add further aerial prowess to the mix. This physical blueprint has paid dividends—Arsenal have netted 14 set-piece goals this season, more than any other Premier League side, whilst conceding just five.

Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has earned cult status among the Gunners faithful for his work in this area, yet the club have opted to bring additional expertise through the door. According to The Times, they've turned to Gronnemark, widely regarded as the world's premier throw-in coach and a former record-holder in the discipline, to push their standards even higher.

Gronnemark's pedigree is well established—he previously worked with Liverpool during their Jurgen Klopp era—and he's now consulting with Arsenal, visiting their training ground to impart his methods and knowledge.

The timing of this appointment carries an ironic twist. Just months earlier, Gronnemark had publicly critiqued throw-in quality across the Premier League, specifically calling out Arsenal amongst the offenders for their "chaotic" execution as the long throw has experienced a resurgence.

"There are far too many teams taking low-quality long throw-ins," Gronnemark explained. "Some simply aren't long enough to pose any real threat, and strategy frequently gets overlooked."

He went on to emphasise that quantity shouldn't be mistaken for quality. "I don't actually want to see every team attempting 10 long throw-ins per match. That creates too much stop-start football," he said. "Supporters want entertainment, and constant restarts don't deliver that."

The coach highlighted a critical flaw in how many sides approach the situation. "Clubs observe the leading teams' success with data and copy them wholesale," he observed. "What they miss is the years of meticulous preparation involved. You need space creation around the opposition penalty area."

Gronnemark was particularly scathing about standards across the division. "For most teams, throw-ins represent an genuinely ugly aspect of their game because the quality is so poor. The ball goes into high-pressure situations where it becomes a physical battle," he stated.

He singled out Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Newcastle for specific criticism, noting possession retention on throw-ins under pressure hovers between 25 and 33 percent—well below acceptable standards.

"When I worked at Liverpool, we elevated that quality considerably," Gronnemark reflected. "But it's deteriorated since. I believe one reason is that teams only drill one or two routines per zone. Yes, it can succeed, but your players need to develop the intelligence to think through throw-in situations."

Arsenal's decision to bring him in suggests they're determined to prove those criticisms were merely a temporary blip rather than a systemic problem.