'I love it!' - Wayne Rooney launches empassioned defence of Arsenal & tells Mikel Arteta he should use controversial set-piece tactics EVEN MORE

Arsenal's pursuit of a first Premier League title in 22 years has been heavily scrutinised due to their prowess in scoring from dead balls. Arteta's side have seen set-piece situations produce 22 of their 59 goals, including 16 from corners alone. While effective, it has drawn stinging criticism from rival managers who believe the Gunners are pushing the boundaries of the rules to gain an unfair advantage in the box. Overall, the data shows that set pieces accounted for 27.1% of the Premier League's total goals this season, excluding penalties, which has led some of the league's biggest names to voice their dissatisfaction.

Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney made it clear he does not subscribe to the negative narrative surrounding the north London club. "I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Arsenal and the way they’re playing but I think they’ve been brilliant," Rooney said. "Football is played in different ways. Man City have had spells when they were absolutely incredible, the same for my Man United team. But Arsenal have got a good mix, they’ve got different players who score goals, they’re hard to play against, they keep clean sheets. I actually enjoy watching them play."

The core of the frustration from opponents, including Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, stems from Arsenal's physical approach during dead-ball scenarios. However, Rooney believes Arteta has found a competitive advantage that he should continue to exploit. "The set-pieces are part of football – why would you not use it? They put bodies in the box, if teams aren’t clever enough or haven’t got the players to deal with it, why wouldn’t Arsenal continue to do that? I would be doing it even more if I was Mikel Arteta. It’s part of the game and I love it – they don’t have to change anything," Rooney added.

His comments come after Hurzeler accused the Gunners of "making their own rules" and Alan Pardew suggested an "asterisk" would be needed next to their title win because "there is nothing beautiful about them." Rooney countered this by referencing his own success at Old Trafford, noting: "The last league title we won, we wasn’t great as a team, but nobody is talking about that now. I don’t think Arsenal have been as bad as people are saying, I really don’t. I’m not saying this because I like Arsenal, I’m saying this because I think the criticism they’re received is very unfair."

The Gunners are preparing for a pivotal week that could define their season both at home and in Europe. Before facing Everton in the Premier League on Saturday evening, they travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Arteta’s men headed into the knockout stages with a perfect record in the group stage, signalling their intent to fight on multiple fronts.