How much is set-piece coach Nico Jover worth to Arsenal?
He may be about to find out. Arsenal are in the final stages of extending the contracts of Mikel Arteta’s backroom staff. Jover and his colleagues are expected to join the manager in receiving extensions until 2027, along with a significant pay rise. Based on this 2-0 win over Manchester United, it will be richly deserved.
Arsenal’s two goals on Wednesday mean they have now scored 22 times from corners since the start of last season — more than any other Premier League team across that period. Ten of those goals have opened the scoring in that match. So often, set pieces are what allow Arsenal to break the game open.
How do you begin to quantify Jover’s contribution? If a player had contributed directly to that many crucial goals, what would their market value be? Even with a healthy pay bump, Jover could be considered cheap at the price.
When Arsenal signed Petr Cech from Chelsea in 2015, John Terry said the goalkeeper would win them “12 to 15 points a season”. How many points might Jover win them?
Of course, the success at set pieces is not down to just one man. It was Arteta who brought Jover to Manchester City and then Arsenal, giving him the platform to showcase his abilities, and the trust required to carry out his work.
The players have had to buy in too. Practising set pieces is not always top of every footballer’s wishlist. Arsenal run their drills several times a week — Jover has had to find ways to ensure the players remain engaged and invested. That job gets easier when the work produces such tangible results.
But it is not just Jover’s coordination of Arsenal’s movement in the box that gives them such a threatening presence on set pieces — it is also the calibre of the delivery.
Against United, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka swung corner after corner right on top of a beleaguered Andre Onana.
Reflecting on his delivery, Rice told Arsenal’s official website: “There were a couple tonight that were really good. Every time I was going to take the corner, I knew it was going to be a good ball. In my head I was just thinking about putting it in the same spot and with repetition you end up scoring goals.”
Arsenal have also recruited for this. It is no coincidence the squad is packed with giants like Gabriel, William Saliba, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino. The fact Arsenal can allow the tall figure of Rice to take corners, or alternatively linger on the edge of the box, tells you something about the wealth of aerial power at their disposal.
They needed those game-breaking dead balls against United. Although the pre-match atmosphere had crackled in anticipation of the Emirates Stadium’s 500th competitive men’s game, the first half was largely underwhelming. The two chances Arsenal did create — missed by Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli — came, of course, from corners.
Arteta admitted to “tweaking a few things” in the second half, and the improvement was obvious. When the breakthrough came, it was Jurrien Timber rising at the near post to flick the ball into the net, with shades of Steve Bould in George Graham’s heyday.
The goal topped off an excellent performance from the Dutch defender, who shone at right-back before switching over to the left to help shut down substitute Amad Diallo. Timber had been getting closer to breaking his Arsenal duck in recent weeks. He had a goal disallowed against Nottingham Forest, and was denied by a brilliant Lukasz Fabianski save against West Ham United — both from set pieces. This time, there was nothing Onana could do.
Then it was Saliba’s turn. In the absence of his defensive partner Gabriel, the Frenchman produced a superb display. Without his more senior defensive partner, he seemed to take on a leadership role. The goal was just reward for his performance — even if the manner in which the ball ricocheted off him was somewhat fortuitous.
Arsenal’s prowess at dead-ball situations is evident, but Arteta emphasised that their game is about more than that. “Last year we scored the most goals in the history of this football club,” he said. “Not because of only set pieces, because of a lot of things that we have. We want to create individual and magic moments. A lot of players can create their own goals. We can create goals from short counters and long counters, slow build-ups, restarts and the opportunity to open up the opposition. Every single phase of play let’s maximise it, keep working on it, keep improving.”
Jover knows however that he is valued at Arsenal — by Arteta especially. After the manager signed his deal in September, the club set about negotiating renewals with his support staff. The resignation of sporting director Edu has not derailed those talks — the baton was picked up by managing director Richard Garlick, and the club are now confident of finalising agreements with the likes of Jover, Carlos Cuesta, Miguel Molina and Albert Stuivenberg.
Arsenal’s win takes them seven points behind leaders Liverpool. Perhaps even more importantly, it continues the sense of positive momentum that has built up since the team returned from international duty.
As for the set pieces, Arsenal will continue to innovate. In order to stay ahead of opposition analysts, Jover makes tweaks as the season goes on — but always based on the same fundamental principles.
Those do not need to change. As Wednesday demonstrated, they are working brilliantly.
(Top photos: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
