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In modern football, clubs will leave no stone unturned as they seek out new ways to improve every facet of their play. As a consequence, specific set-piece coaches have been introduced to the point where almost all elite sides have an expert employed in this particular department.

At Arsenal, they currently have Nicolas Jover fulfilling the role. And it just so happens that the Gunners have become one of the best set-piece teams in England over the past few years. For instance, as per Match of the Day, they have scored 13 goals from such circumstances so far this term – which is two more than any other Premier League team (at the time of writing).

But Jover isn't a name familiar to most fans. Indeed, he doesn't face up to the media like manager Mikel Arteta or captain Martin Odegaard regularly do. With that being the case, GIVEMESPORT have decided to do a deep dive into who the the set-piece coach is.

Coaching origins

Time in Canada key

Jover was born in Berlin, Germany on 24 October 1981 but was raised in France. Thanks to a link between the University of Montpellier and the University of Sherbrooke, he moved to Canada in his early 20s to study for a sports degree. Over in North America, he played amateur football at university level but a knee injury saw him turn to coaching.

After studying for a master’s degree, he joined the amateur club Dynamik de Sherbrooke, who at the time were a newly established amateur club in the region and became their first technical director. This was where it became apparent that he had a real skill for work in football behind the scenes.

Former team-mate and scout Nicholas Gagnon told The Athletic:

Start in professional football

Montpellier work led to set-piece role at Brentford

Jover then returned to France with the dream of breaking into professional football. He did so at Montpellier, but his six years with the Ligue 1 were spent focusing on video analysis. He also spent time with the Croatian national team as a match analyst in 2013.

His set-piece work would come later at Brentford. Jover had been forensically studying set pieces since 2012 and eventually landed a job relating to this with the Bees in 2016. He impressed manager Dean Smith right away and stayed with the then Championship club until 2019, also working with the club's current boss Thomas Frank.

, Frank praises the set-piece coach, telling The Griffin Park Grapevine:

At Manchester City

Arteta brings him to the Etihad

Brentford recorded 46 set-piece goals in his three seasons and this was enough to grab the attention of Manchester City. But it was assistant manager Arteta who had noted his fine work in the Championship, as opposed to Pep Guardiola. As per The Mirror, City created 104 chances from set-pieces during Jover's two-year spell at the club, scoring 16 goals during that same period – winning the Premier League once in his two seasons at The Etihad, as well as two League Cups.

However, this didn't necessarily represent a massive improvement for Man City and the coach didn't quite find his groove at the Etihad during his time there. Jover's transition into the side was perhaps not helped by Arteta's exit just six months after his arrival. The set-piece coach left the club at the end of his contract in 2021 and eventually joined Arsenal, despite former Brenfrod. boss Smith trying to poach him for Aston Villa.

At Arsenal

With the Gunners, Jover made an instant impact. Indeed, the north London club went from being the third lowest set-piece scorers in the Premier League in 2020/21 to the team with the most goals from dead-ball situations in the first three months of the 2021/22 season (per football.london).

These days, they are widely viewed to be one of the most threatening teams from set-pieces when it wasn't that long ago that this was widely considered a weakness in the club's game. After Arsenal scored their opening two goals against Crystal Palace from corners, Arteta was full of praise for their set-piece coach. He told the media:

Specific set-piece routines

Secret signals and 'rebound players'

Dating way back to his time in Canada, Jover was known for 'christening corner routines with surreptitious names' and he has brought this sense of espionage to his set-pieces in Europe. For instance, it seems as though Arsenal captain Odegaard gives secret signals to help his teammates know what sort of corner kick routine is going to be attempted.

Pundit Ashley Williams noted how the midfielder would regularly play with his socks before every set-piece, which he believed was some sort of "trigger" no doubt created in tandem with Jover on the training pitch.

What's more, as noted by The Athletic, he has also employed a system where Arsenal have ‘rebound players’ to help the regular score from corners. This is when an attacking team often leaves two or three players outside the opponents’ penalty area to defend against possible counter-attacks, but those players are actually used to help collect the ball and contribute to the attack in the second wave.

His good work is certainly appreciated by the players. This was evident in 2022/23 when Gabriel scored from a Leandro Trossard corner. At the time the Gunners were top of the league and this was their 12th goal from a set-piece this campaign. When the ball hit the back of the next, the players all ran to celebrate with Jover, recognising the key role his coaching has played in the goal.