Mikel Arteta responds to Dimitar Berbatov as Arsenal labelled 'the new Stoke City'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he sees comparisons with Stoke City’s physical style under Tony Pulis as a ‘compliment’. The Gunners have an exceptional record from dead-ball routines this season.

Two more goals from corners in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Manchester United prompted Dimitar Berbatov to compare them to Stoke. Under former boss Pulis, the Potters earned a reputation for having strong players who were excellent at attacking corners and free kicks.

It was unclear whether the comparison was meant as a compliment – but Arteta certainly thinks so.

“I understood very well what Berbatov said,” Arteta said on Friday. “We take it as a big compliment because Stoke were so good at it.”

It comes after Berbatov said: “Probably the Premier League is the only league in the world where you have so many players around the goalkeeper, pushing, shoving, making chaos.

“Normally it is going to be a foul. Not here. You need to be strong. And that’s probably why he (Ruben Amorim) was watching from the side, he was like, ‘What is going on with my keeper?’

“You need to work on that. As we joke, Arsenal is the new Stoke City, right? Depending on set-pieces, which can give you the win, as it was today.”

Arteta says his team strive to be the best at every element of the game. He continued: “We want to be the kings of everything. In corners, best in the world. In open play, the best in the world.

“Before, [the accusation] was we didn’t score enough, we didn’t challenge, we didn’t win big games for 20 years. We want to be the best of the best.”

Arteta was also happy to hear set-piece coach Nicolas Jover described as “the most annoying bloke in football” by former United defender Gary Neville. The 42-year-old observed: “We take it as a compliment. There is a lot to improve and the margins are always there for us to improve and get better.”

Arsenal have overcome a small wobble in the autumn and appear back to their best, buoyed by the return of key players from injury, such as Martin Odegaard. They have won each of their last four games in all competitions, scoring 15 goals. Arteta’s side visit Fulham on Sunday.