Why Arsenal's record-breaking set-piece threat has vanished this season

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Arsenal scored a Premier League record 19 goals from corners last season on their way to a first title in 22 years. Five games into this campaign, they have scored precisely none.

It is not for lack of trying, and it is not simply bad luck. According to analysis reported by the Daily Mail, a Premier League-wide crackdown on grappling at set-pieces, combined with a new rule banning players from drying the ball with towels before throw-ins, has significantly blunted one of Arteta's most potent weapons.

The numbers behind the slump

Last season, 18 per cent of all Premier League goals came from corners - the highest share in the competition's history. This season that figure has crashed to 9.9 per cent, the second-lowest on record, as referees have been told to punish 'holding actions that have clear material impact' inside the box.

Arsenal have felt that shift more than most. Having ranked top for set-piece goals over the past three seasons, and first for expected goals (xG) from set-pieces last term, the Gunners have dropped to ninth for xG and 14th for shots from dead-ball situations this season. Gabriel has had three attempts from set-pieces without scoring, despite the underlying numbers suggesting he should already have a couple.

Mikel Arteta has pointed to the new towel rule as a specific factor. Ben White and Declan Rice regularly launched long throws into the box last season that led to goals, but drying the ball is no longer permitted. 'Not being able to use the towels is already a big one,' Arteta said ahead of the season.

Speaking before Saturday's lunchtime kick-off against Leeds, Arteta added: 'You have to adjust to the rules and what is allowed and what is not. That opens other windows to do things that we want to do. We hope to score in a different way. My personal opinion is that we have done better things than last year in the first five games, but we have scored no goals. That is the reality of set-pieces.'

He continued: 'Last year we had scored three goals by this time, and two of them we didn't have to do much about and the execution it deserved wasn't done right. There is an element of luck. I think this season we should have scored more but we haven't. If we maintain that throughout the season, we will be in really good numbers.'

Missing personnel compounds the problem

Arsenal have also been without key figures who thrived in these situations. William Saliba has missed all five league matches so far, while Jurrien Timber, who scored three set-piece goals last season including two against Leeds, has missed three games through injury. Ezri Konsa, deputising at the back, will need time to adapt to Nicolas Jover's routines, and his own fitness for the Leeds game is uncertain.

Arsenal face the tallest team in the division on Saturday looking to end their set-piece drought, but with the league's new enforcement showing no signs of easing, Arteta's side may need to find fresh ways to manufacture an edge at the back post.