Marco Silva does not seem concerned about Arsenal’s set-piece prowess, reminding the Gunners that his Fulham side came out on top from dead balls last season.
The Cottagers host Arsenal on Sunday in the Premier League with much being made of Mikel Arteta’s side’s threat from corners.
Manchester United certainly struggled to handle their set-pieces on Wednesday night, with William Saliba bundling in the second goal from a corner in a 2-0 win.
Silva knows that his team face a challenge from set-pieces, but he has taken confidence from the two games between the sides last campaign.
The clash at the Emirates finish 2-2 and then Fulham won 2-1 at Craven Cottage, with the Portuguese coach remembering exactly how the goals came.
‘Last season, we did really well in that situation, we scored twice against them in set-pieces last season, and the reality is that they didn’t score [from a set-piece] against us, and let’s hope we can repeat the same,’ he told a press conference on Friday.
Silva would not expect Arteta to take his team lightly anyway, but even more so after the impressive results last season.
Fulham only played on Thursday night, beating Brighton 3-1, which Silva says will be no help to his side.
‘No-one surprises anyone in Premier League no more,’ he said. ‘You know how Mikel [Arteta] and the Arsenal team respect everybody in this competition, they know that it’s really tough to play and win games at this level.
‘And probably they are going to be even more aware because the reality is we played two great games against them last season – at the Emirates with the draw, and of course with the three points at Craven Cottage.
‘But I really believe that it’s going to be even more difficult. Firstly, because with the game last night, it’s going to be really short [turnaround], and because they are in a great moment, definitely.
‘And they are going to be more aware, probably, about our strengths, and it’s going to be tougher for us. But we like this type of challenge.’
Arteta was asked about Arsenal’s work on set-pieces and said it is just another facet of the game that he wants his side to master.
‘We want to be the kings of everything,’ he said. ‘Set-pieces, the best in the world. High press, the best in the world. In open spaces, the best in the world. The best atmosphere in the stadium and the best at everything. Before it was we didn’t score enough, we were soft at defending, we didn’t have mentality, we were not physical enough, we didn’t beat big teams away from home for 17 years, 20 years, 22 years.
‘We want to be the best at everything. We want to have the best academy, be the best at player development, recruit the best players, best coaches. That’s the aim.’