Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has launched a strong criticism of Arsenal’s set-piece approach following Germany’s shock World Cup elimination by Paraguay.
Klopp was angered by a VAR decision that ruled out Jonathan Tah’s extra-time header after a foul was awarded against him for contact with goalkeeper Orlando Gill. The decision forced the match into a penalty shootout, where Germany suffered their first-ever defeat in a men’s World Cup shootout.
The German coach argued that if such physical challenges are considered illegal, Arsenal’s reliance on set pieces would be questioned, claiming many of the Gunners’ goals come from similar situations.
“If the goal is illegal, then Arsenal won’t be English champions. They’ve scored 60 percent of their goals that way. We win the game when the ball goes in. So, of course, this is brutal,” Klopp said.
He described the VAR decision as devastating and said Germany’s hopes of winning the tournament had been crushed.
“There are worse things than defeats in sports. But there was only one goal, one dream, and that has been shattered. It was dramatic. There are 500,000 ways to win a football match. You just have to find one,” he added.
Klopp’s comments come after Arsenal’s record-breaking 2025–26 campaign, where the club reportedly scored 19 goals directly from corners, the highest tally in Premier League history.
Meanwhile, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann was visibly frustrated on the touchline, while Kai Havertz accepted responsibility after missing his opening penalty in the shootout.
“I don’t have much to say. This is now my second World Cup and we’ve missed moving onto the next round twice now in a row. I want to apologise for that,” Havertz said.
