February 24th 2024.
This season, Arsenal has been dominating the field when it comes to set pieces. With an impressive 19 goals scored from dead-ball situations, they have rightfully earned the title of the Premier League's set piece kings. The likes of Gabriel and William Saliba have been causing chaos in the opposing team's boxes throughout the entire campaign. In fact, The Gunners have scored five more goals from set pieces than their closest rival, Everton. And the mastermind behind this set piece dominance is none other than Nicolas Jover, the secret weapon that manager Mikel Arteta has brought in to potentially lead the team to their first Premier League title since 2004.
But who exactly is Nicolas Jover and how did he become Arsenal's set piece guru? Well, Jover joined the team in the summer of 2021, when Arteta made the decision to recruit him from his former club, Manchester City. The 42-year-old Frenchman had previously spent six months working alongside Arteta at City before the Spanish coach was brought in to lead Arsenal in December 2019. Jover's impact at Arsenal has been nothing short of stunning.
When asked about his decision to bring Jover to the Emirates, Arteta explained, "After carefully considering our options, I knew that the best solution was to bring in someone I knew who was available. Nicolas Jover's expertise is incredibly valuable and useful for us, and I am confident that he will make a positive impact on the team." Arteta had previously worked with Jover during their time at City, and was impressed with his abilities.
Jover's impact at Arsenal was immediately evident, as the team went from being the third lowest scorers from set pieces in the Premier League during the 2020/21 season, to being the team with the most goals from dead-ball situations in the first three months of the following season. But before joining Manchester City, Jover had also worked at Brentford under Dean Smith from 2016 to 2019. He had previously been a video analyst at Montpellier from 2009 until 2016, and even had a brief stint as a match analyst for Croatia in 2013.
In fact, Jover's set piece tactics were so impressive that ahead of the 2018 World Cup, England manager Gareth Southgate sent one of his assistants to study them at Brentford's training ground. Jover's tactics, which he had honed during his time at Université de Sherbrooke, were even inspired by American football. And it paid off, as England reached the semi-finals in Russia.
Jover has a clear vision for his role at Arsenal, as he dreams of developing a unique and recognizable style of play from set pieces that will be associated directly with him. In an interview with Christoph Biermann, author of the book Football Hackers: The Science and Art of a Data Revolution, Jover said, "I dream of creating a distinct style of set pieces, just like a playing style." It's clear that Jover's expertise and innovative approach to set pieces have been a major factor in Arsenal's success this season.
So, it's safe to say that Arsenal is lucky to have Nicolas Jover as their set piece coach. His impact has been undeniable and it's clear that he is a valuable asset to the team. Only time will tell if his tactics and guidance will lead Arsenal to their first Premier League title in over a decade.
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