Luiz scored a superb header off the training ground against Leicester (Picture: Getty)
Ian Wright has hailed Mikel Arteta’s decision to bring in a specialised set piece coach at Arsenal, insisting work on the training pitch is now paying off.
Arsenal fell behind early on against Leicester on Sunday but launched a superb comeback to leave 3-1 winners courtesy of goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe.
Luiz’s header six minutes from half-time got the Gunners on their way with Arsenal unlocking the hosts with a superb set play, delivered by Willian and wonderfully headed home by his countryman.
Andreas Georgson was one of a number of coaching appointments made by Arteta during the summer with the Swede brought in following a successful spell a Brentford as Head of Set Pieces and Individual Development.
And Wright believes there has been huge improvement from Arsenal in that department.
Arsenal’s equaliser on Sunday (Picture: Getty)
‘It’s no secret Arsenal have a set piece coach,’ Wright told Premier League Productions on Sunday.
‘When you look at how that [Luiz’s goal] was worked, it was worked brilliantly, you can see that Lacazette was there to clear out the space and pin their best header of the ball which is Jonny Evans.
‘And that is the space where you see David Luiz definitely waiting for the space to be cleared. The ball has to be pinpoint and it’s fantastic.
‘That’s why you get a set piece coach, to get those things working on the training pitch.’
Victory at Leicester moves Arsenal up to 10th, just six points behind sixth place Liverpool. Arteta’s side are next in action away to Burnley next Saturday.
John Higgins claimed the Players Championship in supreme style (Picture: WST)
John Higgins is setting his sights on plenty more big titles after his stunning Players Championship victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan on Sunday evening.
The Wizard of Wishaw dominated the tournament in Milton Keynes, seeing off Jordan Brown, Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson to reach the final, dropping just one frame along the way.
The Rocket looked likely to present a sterner test to him, but it only barely proved to be the case as Higgins strolled to a 10-3 victory over the world champion.
One of the finest players the sport has ever seen, it is no surprise to see the 45-year-old play well, but it was something of a shock to see him turn it on to that extent and absolutely decimate competition of the highest level.
The four-time world champion had not won a ranking event for three years, but after getting his hands on the trophy in such spectacular fashion on Sunday night, the Wizard fancies adding plenty more silverware to his already vast collection in the near future.
‘Amazing, if somebody had said to me that I was going to win it, I’d have thought it would be tough,’ Higgins told a press conference after lifting the title.
‘But the way I felt all week, the way I was in control, I’m thinking I can go on and win more now. It’s a funny feeling. I’ve got that monkey off my back of the last three years so now I can try and push on and add more titles if I’m feeling like this.
‘Throughout my career there’s been peaks and troughs but right now there’s no better feeling than sitting here. It’ just a shame your family and your friends are not here and the crowd’s not in. That’s the only downside.
‘I was coming here trying to get into the Tour Championship so I’ve managed to do that. This opens things up, gets me in the Champion of Champions, gets my ranking up there for the following year. You don’t want to lose touch with the top boys. It gives you a boost knowing that I’m going to be there for a couple of years now.’
Higgins will not play the Gibraltar Open this week but returns for the Tour Championship at Celtic Manor later this month and then attention will turn to Sheffield and the World Championship in April.
If the Wizard can conjure up more form like he did last week then he will be extremely hard to stop in South Yorkshire.
He feels that he has just produced the tournament of his life at the Players Championship, but is aiming to top it at the biggest event of all.
‘This is the best week so far in my career, but to win the Worlds for a fifth time, that would obviously top it,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be really difficult but listen, I’m going there now in a better frame of mind than I’ve done in previous years, so that’s a good thing.
‘I think it must have [sent a message]. I was maybe a player in the last couple of years that the top boys would come against thinking “well if he plays well he’s got a chance but if he doesn’t play well I can knock him over pretty easy.” So this must let everybody know that I’m still a contender.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan will certainly consider Higgins a contender for the World Championship after being on the wrong end of the one-sided scoreline on Sunday night.
The Rocket was not playing his best stuff and took on some fairly reckless shots at times, but was full of admiration for his conqueror at the conclusion of the contest.
‘John was just unbelievable, I’ve been watching his games all week. John was solid, scored well today and was just too good,’ O’Sullivan said on ITV.
O’Sullivan has now lost four ranking event finals this season (Picture: VCG via Getty Images)
‘John was strong, I knew I had to play well today and maybe I put a little bit of pressure on myself thinking that I had to play as well as I could to have a chance.
‘Once you don’t punish John when he’s playing as well as he is, you do a lot of sitting in your chair.
‘There’s not a lot you can do sometimes when someone’s as good as John and he’s tying you up in knots and making hundreds, you just have to sit it out and wait for an early night.
‘John was unbelievable this week fantastic, masterclass tonight and it’s great to see such a good player back winning. It’s good for snooker because that you don’t see very often. So I’m happy for John and his family.’
Man Utd legend Paul Scholes has delivered his verdict on Liverpool midfielder Thiago (Picture: BT Sport)
Paul Scholes believes Thiago would be ‘more suited’ to Manchester United than his current club Liverpool.
The Premier League champions signed Spanish midfielder Thiago from Bayern Munich last summer in a deal costing just £20million.
As one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe, Thiago was expected to have a massive impact at Anfield but has endured an underwhelming first season in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old has failed to show the form he demonstrated in Germany, while Liverpool’s title defence crumbled in a period in which the team won just two of their 11 league fixtures.
Thiago helped Liverpool return to winning ways on Sunday with a routine 2-0 victory over bottom-placed Sheffield United, but Scholes still doubts whether the Spaniard will consistently thrive under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
The former Manchester United and England midfielder told Premier League productions: ‘The way Liverpool play with the three in midfield, I don’t think he has great legs about him, so that central role would suit him down to the ground.
‘Once you are in a wider position in the three, it’s very difficult to get around the pitch because he’s not that type of player. He’s not someone who is going to be running out to a left-back. It’s just not his game.
Thiago joined Liverpool last summer from Bayern Munich (Picture: Getty)
‘He just needs to be sat in the middle. Controlling things, bringing players into play and that’s what he’s good at – I just wonder if this way of playing that Liverpool play is suited to his style of football.
‘He doesn’t seem a Jurgen Klopp type player, does he? You think of the midfield players he has got and the forward players. Everything is 100 miles per hour.
‘I thought he would have been more suited to a Manchester United team. In a two in midfield with a holding player, really good strong defensive player, where he can sit and control games.
‘Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, I don’t see them controlling games. I see them going for the throat in teams. He hasn’t got that energy to really overpower midfield players.’
Klopp, meanwhile, praised his Liverpool team after they beat Sheffield United and moved to within two points of the top-four.
‘Plenty of people have written us off. That’s fine,’ said Klopp. ‘With all the problems we have had we’re still around the exciting places.
‘This was about us showing we’re still there. We play Chelsea on Thursday, we have to show it again. We have to win football games, we know that. There’s no way into the Champions League without results.’
Manchester City have won 20 consecutive matches to storm 12 points clear at the top of the table with 12 games remaining.
While the title is almost certainly heading to the Etihad, the top-four battle remains wide open, with 11 points separating eight clubs from second to ninth.
Man United are second following Sunday’s goalless draw with fifth-placed Chelsea, and Murphy believes that will be where the Red Devils remain.
The former England midfielder expects Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea to climb to third, however, with Liverpool and Leicester fighting it out for the final Champions League spot.
Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal all closed the gap on the top-four at the weekend with wins but Murphy believes they have left themselves too much to do ahead of the final stages of the 2020-21 campaign.
‘The run-in is going to be fascinating, and it’s wide open too,’ Murphy wrote in a column for BBC Sport.
Danny Murphy's top-four prediction
Manchester City
Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool or Leicester City
‘Manchester United got some criticism for not showing enough courage against Chelsea on Sunday, but the point Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side got at Stamford Bridge maintains their six-point cushion over fifth place and I see them as stand-out favourites to finish second.
‘I also think Chelsea will make it into the top four, because of their strength in depth and the fact they are now so hard to beat under Thomas Tuchel – they are just not losing any games.
‘After that, it is hard to say for sure. For different reasons, Leicester, Liverpool, West Ham and Everton will all fancy their chances, and Tottenham and Arsenal are in touch after good wins this weekend.’
Murphy added: ‘For me, consistency will be the deciding factor. On their day, Tottenham or Arsenal are exciting to watch but I don’t think they will manage to string together the results they need to mount a challenge.
‘Everton are capable of doing that, though, and West Ham have been doing it for a few weeks already. The Hammers are another side that are very difficult to break down, as City found out on their way to beating them.
‘Ultimately, though, I have a feeling David Moyes’ side might fall a bit short, especially if they have to cope without Tomas Soucek or Declan Rice for any length of time.
‘Leicester already seem to be picking up more injuries, which is a worry. Now it looks like they will be without Harvey Barnes for a while, and he will be a big miss. It is going to be tough for them.
‘Even so, I think it will either be the Foxes or Liverpool who make fourth place.
‘Both of them have got far more experience of these kind of situations, when the pressure is really on, than Everton or the Hammers do.’
