Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy at Crystal Palace in a moment of pure vindication for Mikel Arteta and his squad. The image of Martin Odegaard holding the silverware aloft will define the decade for the club, yet the journey to glory was relentlessly questioned by pundits and rival supporters. Throughout the campaign, Arsenal’s playing style was described as "unwatchable," and the tag "Set-Piece FC" stuck after a series of goals from dead-ball situations. Even club legend Paul Scholes reportedly labelled them the "worst Premier League title winners ever" before the campaign concluded. None of that noise pierced the Emirates celebrations, but the criticism overshadowed the tactical brilliance that underpinned their success.
Detractors ignored the context of Arsenal’s attacking numbers. Opposition sides repeatedly dropped into deep, heavily manned defensive blocks to neutralize the Gunners’ threat. According to Opta data, Arsenal attempted more open-play shots against defences featuring nine or more players in the penalty area than any other side. Those 112 attempts yielded 12 goals—also a league high—proving that they could unlock even the most stubborn rearguards. This was not a team that simply lumped balls into the box; it was a finely calibrated unit that found pockets of space where none seemed to exist.
The fitness crisis in the attacking department gave Arteta little room to dazzle. Captain Odegaard managed only 12 league starts where he played 45 minutes or more, a staggering limitation for a team’s chief creative conductor. Bukayo Saka, the talismanic winger, missed a vital month of the run-in after suffering an injury during the March international break. Without two of his most influential forwards for large stretches, Arteta was forced to prioritize control and efficiency over flair. The fact that Arsenal maintained their grip on top spot from October through to May is itself a monument to the squad’s depth and discipline.
Arteta met the criticism with characteristic defiance in a press conference. "Can we score 100 goals? Today? With the resources that we have, the players that have been out? The answer is no," he said. "Can a player score 35 goals? No." The manager argued that in the absence of a traditional prolific scorer, Arsenal had to become world-class at set-pieces and defensive organization. He framed the strategy as a probability game: maximize strengths to tilt the percentages in their favour. That pragmatic honesty might not have silenced the purists, but it reflected a realistic assessment of his available tools.
The blueprint was never more evident than when Manchester City visited the Emirates in September. Guardiola’s side, renowned for their possession obsession, were reduced to a deep block and a record-low 33.2 per cent of the ball. It was a shocking concession from the champions of the beautiful game, yet it was forced upon them by Arsenal’s relentless pressing and territorial command. If the league’s best technical side felt compelled to abandon their principles, what chance did lesser opponents have? The answer was a season-long pattern of massed defences trying to scrape a point from the Gunners.
Europe provided further evidence. In the Champions League, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid all attempted to play their usual expansive game against Arsenal. Each suffered defeat. Arteta’s side proved time and again that opposing teams could choose their poison: sit deep and risk being undone by a set-piece or defensive lapse, or open up and get carved apart by intelligent movement. The "unwatchable" narrative crumbled under the weight of these high-stakes European victories.
Liverpool’s Arne Slot added fuel to the criticism with a pointed remark after the title was decided. "Congratulations to them," he said, "but for me they have been a different champion to the last 10 seasons. It is the first time in 30 years that 40 per cent of goals had come from set-pieces." While factually accurate, Slot’s dig ignored the cause-and-effect relationship: teams defending in numbers against Arsenal inevitably gave away more set-pieces, increasing the share of goals from such situations. It was a classic case of correlation being mistaken for causation.
The "VARsenal" meme, which implied favourable refereeing decisions, also did the rounds on social media. Yet the data tells a story of sustained, grinding excellence. Those 12 open-play goals in crowded boxes were not flukes; they were the output of meticulously rehearsed attacking patterns executed under immense pressure. Arteta’s side also boasted the league’s best defensive record, underscoring a complete team performance rather than a set-piece-dependent outfit.
Ultimately, the trophy lift at Selhurst Park rendered all the noise irrelevant. For the players, coaching staff, and a fanbase starved of league success for over two decades, the taste of glory washed away any stylistic asterisks. Odegaard’s leadership, the imperious centre-back partnership, and the collective will to win in multiple ways were the true hallmarks of this Arsenal side. They did not need a 30-goal striker or viral passing sequences to conquer England; they needed a system that worked, and they executed it flawlessly.
Arsenal’s triumph is a lesson in modern football’s complexity. While purists may yearn for the fluidity of peak Guardiola or the chaos of Klopp’s heavy metal, titles are won by teams that solve the problems in front of them. This Arsenal team was presented with a league full of opponents determined to sit deep and frustrate, and they found the answers—through set-pieces, through set plays, through sheer resilience. Their 12 open-play goals in the most congested areas are a statistic that deserves a far louder applause than the jeers that accompanied their run.
Arteta’s project has now achieved its ultimate validation. The style critics will fade, but the silverware endures. The 2025-26 Premier League champions will be remembered not for how they looked, but for how they conquered every challenge thrown their way. In the history books, there is no column for aesthetics, only points, and Arsenal gathered more than anyone else.
Based on reporting from Sky Sports.