Arsenal scored two goals from corners in their 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday (April 28).
The Gunners tormented their opponents with their clever corner routine all game long, with Kai Havertz scoring one after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg put one into his own net.
There is actually a very interesting method using which the Arsenal players communicate regarding how they approach a corner.
This ‘secret signal’ takes place before a corner is whipped in and is orchestrated by Martin Odegaard kneeling down and starts playing with his socks.
Former Swansea City defender Ashley Williams spoke about this after Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier this season, saying: “There's always a trigger for what the movement's going to be. We can see they have worked on whether it's a front-post corner or a back-post corner.
“If you keep an eye on Martin Odegaard, we feel - maybe we've had too much time on our hands - that maybe he's signalling something to the corner taker. He's in the same place for every corner, and he's playing with his socks. The reason we're looking for a trigger is because [these things] are worked on. There is synchronicity regarding whether they go to the front or the back.
“Every clip we see here, he is doing the same thing where he's playing with his socks. It might be coincidence. I understand we might be reaching for something that isn't there, but it is a big coincidence that he's always there and always doing something with his sock. I think [Arsenal set-piece coach] Nicolas Jover has said, 'We have signals on what set piece we're doing'.”
Odegaard is often seen playing with his socks in an indirect signal to the corner taker (often Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice) in whether to whip the corner to the near post or put it closer to the goalkeeper.
This interesting tactic has worked wonders as Arsenal have scored 16 goals through set-pieces in the Premier League this season, more than any other team.
