TONY PULIS has claimed that Arsene Wenger would not be impressed by Mikel Arteta’s focus on set-pieces.
The Arsenal boss, 42, was compared with Pulis for his side’s set-piece prowess earlier this term.
Wenger, 75, rarely hid his disdain for Pulis’ Stoke side during their stint in the Premier League.
The Frenchman even claimed that the Potters employed “rugby” tactics in 2010.
Earlier this season, social media memes compared Arteta to Pulis, with one image even mocked up of the Spaniard wearing the ex-Stoke boss’ iconic cap.
Pulis, 67, loves the comparisons – telling the Telegraph: “It’s funny because Arsene brought a lot of good stuff into the game but he couldn’t cope with the belief that set-plays were that important.
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“It was all about the good football he wanted to play, completely different to maybe what I like to see.
“We were called dinosaurs. Maybe I was a trend-setter. I’ve had Liverpool fans bump into me and talk about Jurgen Klopp wearing my cap.
“People have mentioned how managers now wear white trainers on the touchline like I did. And now there’s obviously the set-plays.”
Arsenal have scored 45 goals from set plays since the start of the 2022-23 season.
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Pulis has admired the work done by Arteta, even if it has been mocked by rival fans.
The Welshman added: “Arteta has done fantastically well to recognise how important set-plays are. When you look at it, Arsenal have won a hell of a lot of games from them.
“Arsene would most probably be shaking his head at the amount of praise Arteta is getting for using the corners and set-plays to such an extent that it’s deciding games for them.
“We always knew how important set-plays were and how certain aspects of defending were. It has always been a massive part of professional football, whether you like it or not.”
Wenger escaped an FA charge 15 years ago after complaining about Stoke’s approach during a match against Arsenal’s rivals Tottenham.
He said: “You cannot say it is football any more. It is more rugby on the goalkeepers than football.
“When you see the way (Ryan) Shawcross kicked Heurelho Gomes, how Robert Huth pushed Gomes in the goal, you cannot say that is football any more.”
At the time, Pulis hit back: “The club is desperately disappointed with the comments which Wenger has come out with, especially the comments about Shawcross.
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“We think they are out of order and you don’t expect it from a person of Wenger’s esteem.
“What he said about Ryan was very, very poor and the football club will take that matter up. The club will deal with it in the right and proper manner.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
