How moving the advertising boards helped Sunderland halt Arsenal juggernaut | Football News
In the higher echelons of the English Premier League, teams and managers often have to think outside the box for any little edge they can get, and if the opposition is leaders Arsenal who are on a 11-match winning streak, any little advantage is of value. Hence, ahead of Saturday’s home game against the Gunners, Sunderland decided to move the advertising boards around the edge of the playing area at the Stadium of Light closer to the touchline so that it became difficult for the visiting team to launch long throws. Arsenal’s set-play prowess is the talk of football circles, and apart from free-kicks and corners, they also do a lot of drills on long throws. This, and attention and implementation of other details, worked to an extent as Sunderland ended Arsenal’s winning streak by getting a 2-2 draw after an 94th-minute equaliser, and staying among the top teams in the league so far. Story continues below this ad Bringing the advertisement boards closer to the touchline to limit the amount of space Arsenal players …