Jamie O’Hara says ‘boring’ Arsenal have ‘killed the Premier League’

Jamie O’Hara says Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces has ‘killed the Premier League’, with teams at both ends of the table now ‘copying’ the ‘boring’ Gunners.

Arsenal sit three points clear of Manchester City at the summit, well placed to end their painful wait for the famous trophy which has eluded them for over two decades.

A 1-0 defeat away to the champions Liverpool, in which Dominik Szoboszlafired home a dramatic late free-kick, remains Arsenal’s one and only loss at this early stage of the season.

After edging out Fulham at Craven Cottage, Mikel Arteta’s men will look to tighten their grip on top spot when they return to action at home to Crystal Palace this weekend.

Arsenal’s defensive solidity has been a major factor in the club’s return as a significant force under Arteta, with Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba widely considered to be among the finest centre-back pairings in European football.

But a more general desire to get ‘back to basics’ has been central in Arteta’s thinking throughout his reign and the side’s threat from dead-ball situations has proven an invaluable weapon – so much so that a mural of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was painted outside the Emirates last season.

Already this term, ten of Arsenal’s 15 goals in the league have come from set-pieces, which has drawn both praise and criticism from fans and pundits alike.

Giving his thoughts on Sky Sports News, ex-Tottenham midfielder O’Hara made it clear exactly where he stood regarding the added focus on set-pieces and the apparent death of ‘fluid football’.

‘I can’t stand it, I hate it. It’s killing the game, especially the Premier League, the product,’ O’Hara asked when asked about the rise of long throw-ins.

‘It’s like watching non-league at the moment, some of the football I’m watching.

‘Spurs at the weekend: territory football, head it out, [Kevin] Danso comes up, gets the towel out and starts throwing… it’s so one-dimensional.

‘Jamie Carragher is right, I get it, some of the lesser teams like Brentford, if you’ve got a long throw then it can cause problems and maybe create a chance.

‘But the top teams doing throw-ins? I can’t believe what I’m watching.

‘It’s all down to Arsenal, Arsenal started this. Arsenal started the long throw, the set-pieces. They’ve killed the Premier League in terms of fluid football and enjoyable football.’

Put to O’Hara that Arsenal do still play attractive football, he responded: ‘No, they don’t, they don’t.

‘Arsenal are the best at it, set-pieces and throw-ins, Arsenal are the best.

‘But everyone is now copying what they’re doing and they can’t do it like that.

‘I’m seeing teams do long throw-ins and they haven’t even got a long throw! It’s not even reaching the six-yard box. But everyone is trying to do it and it’s so one-dimensional.’

O’Hara blasted the ‘boring’ brand of football he had seen in the Premier League this season, reminding the division’s top players and coaches that they are supposed to be ‘the best of the best’.

‘What do you get from a long throw-in? You pack the box out, you throw it and you might get a flick-on or create a chance,’ he went on.

‘But it’s so boring to watch and it’s so non-league. This is the Premier League we’re talking about and you’re meant to be the best of the best.

‘I can understand it every now and then or in the last five minutes of the game, you want to get the ball in the box and cause a bit of chaos. But every time we’re looking at long-throws: stop, start, stop, start.

‘What happened to getting the ball down, moving it quick, crosses in the box, getting to the byline?

‘Thomas Frank has been doing it at Spurs and I don’t like that. I’m not a fan of it and I think it’s killing the Premier League.’