Arsenal should sack set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover following their 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday night. That’s the eyebrow-raising claim made by beIN Sports’ senior anchor Richard Keys, who can never seem to say anything nice without then bringing up an area for improvement.
His advice for the Gunners is bizarre considering deadball situations have become an ace in the club’s deck of tactics over the last two terms. No other team has scored more set-piece goals than the north Londoners over the last five years, and it was Declan Rice’s first two free-kick goals of his professional career that got the job done at the Emirates Stadium this week.
It has since been revealed by the man himself that he completely ignored Jover’s instructions to cross it, however, and Keys has used that eye-opening interview as a stick to beat Mikel Arteta’s right-hand man with. Watch the interview below:
Richard Keys Claims Arsenal Should Sack Set-Piece Coach
The 67-year-old loves to stir the pot one way or another
nicolas jover mikel arteta
Almost everyone was left stunned by the Gunners’ performance against Real Madrid. So much so that much of the fallout came the following morning. Keys, after gathering his thoughts following a night that will be remembered by Arsenal supporters for generations, posted on X (see below):
“Brilliant night for The Gunners. I’m glad they didn’t over do it at the end – you never know with Madrid. One other thing – if I employed a set-piece coach & we hadn’t scored direct from a free-kick since Sept 21 I’d be sacking him – not celebrating with him!”
Jover has certainly split opinion in football circles this season. Some have welcomed the spotlight on a figure who typically operates behind the scenes, appreciating the rare recognition for a set-piece coach. Others, however, have pointed out a frustrating pattern: the Frenchman is quick to bask in the glory when routines pay off, but noticeably absent when Arsenal misfire with poorly executed plays.
That said, Keys’ recent criticism feels more like negativity for negativity’s sake. The numbers speak for themselves – Arteta’s side have been the most successful team in the country from set-pieces this season. To suggest sacking Jover under those circumstances is outright absurd, even if Gary Neville called him the “most annoying bloke in football” earlier in the term.
