‘You have to go to a different country’ - Arteta hits back at critics wanting beautiful football from Arsenal

Arsenal have been criticised this season for depending on set pieces, with more criticism coming after their 2-1 win against Chelsea.

Following the victory, Super Eagles legend John Obi Mikel has branded Arsenal cheats over their "illegal" corner routines and launched a scathing attack on the Gunners' set-piece tactics

Fans have also come out to blast the Gunners, claiming they will be the worst team to win the Premier League.

The Arsenal manager defended his side's reliance on set-pieces, from which they have scored a league-high 24 goals this season. 

He suggested that if fans desire more free-flowing entertainment, the rules of the game must be changed.

"I would like to play with three extra players in my half to get some beautiful football," Arteta stated. "If you want to watch that kind of football, you have to go to a different country because in the Premier League, for the last two or three seasons, this has not been the case."

Premier League supporters have grown increasingly frustrated with the level of grappling permitted by officials during set pieces. 

Arsenal have been noted for capitalising on this lenient officiating to create space in attacking situations, though Declan Rice was fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty against Chelsea for a similar infringement.

"It’s going to be a different game unless we change the rules," Arteta added. "When you used to do a game plan, you would just invert a full-back and bring an extra player in midfield or a false nine. Four years ago, it was a completely different game."

Despite this success, Arteta remains demanding. "I’m upset that we’re not scoring more from them," he said, also noting his frustration with the goal his team conceded against Chelsea.

"Look at the amount of set pieces they score from. Manchester United are doing so well. When I was at Man City, we used to work a lot on them."