Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle may have looked like another hard-fought Premier League clash, but a closer look revealed something striking: every goal came from a corner routine. It’s a reminder of how heavily top-flight football is leaning on structured plays, with strategies that bear a resemblance to those used in the NFL.
Fans often lament the decline of “free-flowing” magic on the pitch, while players and coaches insist the game is now more sophisticated than ever. Both perspectives hold truth—and the increasing reliance on set-pieces explains why football today looks more choreographed than it once did.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay once described American football as “every play being a set-piece.” That comparison feels increasingly accurate in the Premier League, where corners, free-kicks, and even throw-ins are generating more goals than ever.
This season, 28.4% of goals have come from set-pieces—the highest rate in a decade—while 3.2% have been scored from throw-ins, another record-breaking figure. Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, have been particularly effective, netting 36 goals from corners since the start of 2023–24, 15 more than any other side.
Arteta’s friendship with McVay adds intrigue. Both are modern coaches who have shaped their sports tactically, and Arsenal’s set-piece efficiency may owe something to NFL-inspired ideas.
Borrowing from the NFL and beyond
The similarities run deeper than statistics. In football, teams are now using pre-planned player movements on set-pieces—mirroring NFL “routes.” These routines are designed to free up space for a target man, rather than relying solely on physical battles in the box.
Take Gabriel’s winner against Newcastle. While his header made headlines, it was William Saliba’s clever off-the-ball movement that disrupted goalkeeper Nick Pope, preventing him from reaching the cross. The move resembled an NFL “rub route,” where one attacker indirectly blocks a defender’s path.
Other Premier League clubs are adopting similar methods. Chelsea used blocking strategies to unsettle West Ham’s keeper in a 3-1 win earlier this season, while Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton effectively set a “screen” for Marc Guehi’s goal—almost identical to a basketball play.
Coaches tightening their grip on matches
Unlike the NFL, football thrives on unpredictability. With 22 players in constant motion, no coach can control every scenario. Yet the structured nature of set-pieces gives managers a rare chance to impose order.
Arteta and Leicester boss Enzo Maresca embody this shift. Both prefer possession-heavy football that reduces risk in open play, before capitalising on well-drilled set-piece situations. By focusing on these controllable moments, coaches can tilt the odds in their favour.
McVay himself has praised Arteta for blending tactical vision with player autonomy, a balance modern managers must strike. This season, Arsenal have added more vertical, incisive passing to their repertoire, but set-pieces remain their most reliable weapon.
The NFL effect on English football
The influence of American sports tactics is reshaping the Premier League. Corners, free-kicks, and throw-ins are no longer afterthoughts—they’re now decisive battlegrounds.
For clubs, this trend underscores a bigger reality: success is increasingly built in the training ground, not just through individual brilliance. Fans may miss the improvisation of past eras, but as Arsenal’s win showed, precision and planning are now just as thrilling.
