Arne Slot Credits Arsenal’s Set-Piece Dominance and Off-Ball Work Rate After Premier League Title Win

Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth, ending one of English football’s most talked-about trophy droughts. In the aftermath of that confirmation, Liverpool manager Arne Slot offered a detailed and considered assessment of what made Mikel Arteta’s side worthy title winners.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the final round of Premier League fixtures, Slot pointed to Arsenal’s exceptional efficiency from dead-ball situations as a defining feature of their title-winning campaign. “Arsenal are a different champion to previous seasons, 40 per cent of their goals have come from set-pieces,” the Dutch coach said. “But for me, they have been a different champion than the last time. The last 10 seasons, this league has been won by other teams, first of all because it’s the first time in 30 years that a team has 40% of their goals have from set pieces.”

The numbers support that observation. Arsenal recorded a league-high 22 goals from set pieces during the season, a figure that underscores how central dead-ball routines were to Arteta’s tactical blueprint. The Gunners had faced criticism in some quarters for a pragmatic style of play in the weeks leading up to their coronation, but the broader coaching community has responded with considerable respect.

Slot also echoed sentiments expressed by Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique when assessing Arsenal’s defensive and pressing qualities. “Luis Enrique said, and I completely agree, they are by far the best team off the ball in our league, but I also think in Europe,” Slot stated. The alignment between two of Europe’s leading coaches on this point reinforces the extent to which Arsenal’s defensive organisation has been viewed as exceptional at the continental level.

For Slot personally, the 2025-26 season represents a difficult chapter. Having won the Premier League title during his first season in charge at Anfield, the Liverpool manager endured a dip in his second campaign, finishing below Arsenal in the final standings. His comments at the press conference indicated a forward-looking mindset as he prepares to rebuild Liverpool’s challenge in the following season.

“Football has changed, has evolved, and we have to make sure that we are able next season again to compete with Arsenal and with City with our own brand of football,” Slot said. “We have to find the right balance, but we have to know and understand that football has evolved.”

The acknowledgement that Liverpool must adapt without abandoning their identity reflects the broader challenge facing clubs attempting to keep pace with an Arsenal side that has now demonstrated it can win a title through a combination of set-piece precision, defensive structure, and high defensive intensity. With Arsenal’s triumph ending a 22-year wait for league success — their previous title having come in the 2003-04 Invincibles season — the question for rivals including Liverpool and Manchester City will be how to respond during the summer transfer window and pre-season preparation.

Slot’s third season at Liverpool, by his own framing, will require a recalibration — one that accounts for an evolved tactical landscape that Arsenal, under Arteta, appear to have shaped as much as anyone.