Tony Pulis has called for a return to “old-fashioned” defending to stop Arsenal, arguing that set-piece defending across English football has become a “disgrace” and that teams must adopt strict man-for-man marking to counter Mikel Arteta’s side.
Speaking to the Daily Star, the former Stoke and West Brom manager said players are still pulling, pushing and losing concentration in the box, allowing Arsenal to exploit set-pieces repeatedly. “Just using good old-fashioned defending! I think you’ve got to be really, really strong… I think it’s a disgrace that even early on this season… there are still players committing fouls,” Pulis said. He added that defenders must be held individually accountable if the player they are marking scores.
Pulis’s comments come as Arsenal top the Premier League with 12 points from four matches, having won all their games so far. Their set-piece threat has been a major weapon under Arteta, but it was overshadowed last weekend by a controversial penalty decision in their 2-0 win at Sunderland.
In that match, referee John Brooks awarded Sunderland a penalty after Ezri Konsa was judged to have fouled Dan Ballard during a corner. VAR upheld the call, but David Raya saved Enzo Le Fée’s spot-kick and Bruno Guimarães scored two minutes later to put Arsenal in control. Arteta described the decision as “unacceptable” and confirmed that Arsenal held a meeting with Pro Ref to discuss the incident and wider refereeing standards.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca added to the narrative, saying ahead of City’s game against Sunderland that the Black Cats “did not deserve to lose” against Arsenal, praising their organisation and intensity. Meanwhile, Arsenal are preparing for a home fixture against Brighton before the international break, with Arteta emphasising the quality of his squad and backing key individuals to be recognised among the best in the game.
Within the Arsenal camp, young players continue to develop under close scrutiny. Midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly recently spoke about 16-year-old Max Dowman, describing him as a player who “wants to be helped” and is eager to learn, reflecting the club’s focus on nurturing the next generation while maintaining high standards at the top of the table.
