‘Not a Pleasure’—Arne Slot Aims Thinly Veiled Dig at Arsenal As History Repeats Itself

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has reopened English football’s style-versus-substance debate, lamenting the Premier League’s growing dependence on set pieces and holding up league leaders Arsenal as the prime exhibit.

Speaking after his own side’s 3-1 victory over West Ham United—a result built on three goals directly from corners—Slot argued that the English top flight has become “not a pleasure” to watch compared with competitions abroad.

“If I watch other leagues, I do not see as much emphasis on set pieces,” Slot said. “In the Eredivisie, I see goals being disallowed and fouls on goalkeepers being given and I think: ‘Wow, what a big difference.’ Here, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in the face and the referee still says, ‘Play on.’”

The Dutchman, appointed at Anfield last summer, insisted his critique is rooted in a lifelong love of fluid, attacking football. “My heart as a former player does not like it. I think about the Barcelona team from 10, 15 years ago. Every Sunday you looked forward to watching them play. Most of the games I watch in the Premier League are not a pleasure for me, but they are interesting because they are very competitive.”

Slot’s comments landed hours after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, a match in which all three goals originated from corners. Mikel Arteta’s side have turned dead-ball situations into a reliable weapon: Opta statistics show that more than 29% of Premier League goals this season have come from set pieces excluding penalties and own goals—the highest proportion since 2010-11.

Arteta, long an evangelist for data-driven marginal gains, welcomed the spotlight on his team’s routines. “It’s not ugly,” he countered. “You have to play the game that is there for you to play. Against Chelsea, you know exactly the game you’re going to play. For me, it’s a beautiful game because there is so much quality and you have to adapt.”

The philosophical split highlights a familiar tension in English football. Critics label Arsenal’s approach cynical; admirers call it pragmatic innovation. Slot’s complaint echoes earlier critiques—most memorably Jorge Valdano’s 2007 rant about a Liverpool-Chelsea Champions League semi-final dubbed “a shit hanging from a stick.”

Yet historical context suggests aesthetic judgments often shift with time. Spain’s tiki-taka era was once derided as “love without sex,” yet is now romanticised by a generation of fans weaned on highlight reels. Slot’s beloved Barcelona side, too, were occasionally accused of over-elaboration during their peak.

For now, the numbers support Arteta’s thesis: set pieces deliver points, and points deliver titles. Whether the current trend toward structured, rehearsed routines proves a fleeting phase or a permanent evolution, the debate it sparks is as old as the league itself. Slot may not enjoy the spectacle, but Arsenal will scarcely care if the strategy lands their first championship in two decades.