{"id":52932,"date":"2026-05-27T20:15:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T14:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=52932"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:15:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T14:45:35","slug":"ronald-koeman-takes-swipe-at-arsenal-without-corner-kicks-they-dont-win-the-premier-league-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/football\/premier-league\/ronald-koeman-takes-swipe-at-arsenal-without-corner-kicks-they-dont-win-the-premier-league-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronald Koeman takes swipe at Arsenal: \u201cWithout corner kicks, they don\u2019t win the Premier League title\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Barcelona and Everton manager Ronald Koeman<\/strong> has sparked major debate after claiming that Arsenal<\/strong> secured the 2025\/26 Premier League title<\/strong> largely thanks to their exceptional set-piece prowess, particularly from corner kicks<\/strong>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cArsenal have won the Premier League due to corner kicks. If it wasn\u2019t for corner kicks, they wouldn\u2019t have won the league.\u201d \u2013 Ronald Koeman<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The quote has gone viral, dividing opinions between those who see it as a backhanded compliment to Mikel Arteta\u2019s side and others who view it as sour grapes from a rival coach.<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s Record-Breaking Corner Kick Dominance<\/h3>\n

Koeman\u2019s statement isn\u2019t entirely without merit. Arsenal delivered a historic performance from dead-ball situations in the 2025\/26 season:<\/p>\n

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  • 18 goals from corner kicks<\/strong> \u2014 a new Premier League single-season record.<\/li>\n
  • Most corner goals in Europe\u2019s top five leagues.<\/li>\n
  • Set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover<\/strong> has turned Arsenal into a set-piece machine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These goals proved decisive in several tight matches, helping the Gunners edge out their title rivals in a highly competitive season.<\/p>\n

    Why Set Pieces Matter More Than Ever in the Premier League<\/h3>\n

    Modern football has evolved, and set pieces<\/strong> now account for a massive percentage of goals across the top leagues. Arsenal under Arteta embraced this reality more effectively than any other team.<\/p>\n

    Key Arsenal Set-Piece Stars in 2025\/26:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es<\/strong> \u2014 Aerial monster and consistent scorer from corners.<\/li>\n
    • Declan Rice<\/strong> & William Saliba<\/strong> \u2014 Physical presence in the box.<\/li>\n
    • Bukayo Saka & Martin \u00d8degaard<\/strong> \u2014 Deadly delivery from corners and free-kicks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      While Arsenal also dominated in open play with quality attacking football, their ability to punish opponents from corners gave them a significant edge \u2014 an \u201cextra attacker\u201d in many games.<\/p>\n

      Is Koeman Right? A Balanced View<\/h3>\n

      Arguments supporting Koeman\u2019s view:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      • Arsenal scored nearly 15-20% of their goals from corners.<\/li>\n
      • They broke multiple set-piece records this season.<\/li>\n
      • In several key matches, late or crucial goals came directly from corners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Counter arguments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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        • Arsenal finished with the best overall squad depth, consistency, and tactical organization.<\/li>\n
        • They led the league in multiple statistical categories beyond set pieces.<\/li>\n
        • Title winners have always benefited from strong set-piece play (see Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea in previous years).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Calling it the only<\/em> reason they won feels like an exaggeration, but there\u2019s no denying set pieces were a game-changer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Former Barcelona and Everton manager Ronald Koeman has sparked major debate after claiming that Arsenal secured the 2025\/26 Premier League\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":52933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4650],"tags":[537],"class_list":["post-52932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-premier-league","tag-ronald-koeman"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52932"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52934,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52932\/revisions\/52934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}