‘I was viewed as a relic, but nowadays, not many managers complain about set-pieces.’

Greetings and thank you for visiting my latest BBC Sport column, Going Direct.

From strategies to player management, I will be exploring a unique facet of contemporary football each week, contrasting traditional concepts with modern developments.

There’s no better place to commence than with the surge of set-pieces, which is arguably the highlight of the season thus far.

I was perceived as outdated for prioritizing dead-ball situations and long-throws at Stoke City when we advanced to the Premier League in 2008, yet I do not claim to feel justified by their current trendiness – I understood back then their significance.

My responsibility, irrespective of the team I managed, was to secure victories. Certainly, I took a pragmatic approach, but I was also intentional. I cultivated my core principles of effectiveness in a manner that would assist my club in winning matches.

The crucial zones of the pitch lie at both ends, rather than in the midfield. By whatever means necessary, you must prevent the ball from entering your goal at one end and score at the other.

Attacking and defensive set-plays are gaining more traction this season, with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the forefront, but this concept is not a newfound revelation.

Long before Arteta’s era, there were young coaches and managers who recognized the advantages, which clubs in the present day are benefiting from.

Reflecting on the notes I took when Stoke ascended to the top division, we understood that one of our primary objectives was to master set plays in the attacking third, as executing them correctly could assist the team in achieving favorable outcomes.

In closely contested matches in the Premier League, particularly during our early years, they often determined whether we gained points or lost them – and whether we remained in the league or faced relegation – prompting intense focus on them.

The same concepts apply to Arteta and Arsenal today, albeit at the upper echelon of the league.

Like myself, he recognizes the significance of maintaining clean sheets and acknowledges that many games last year ended in draws. Thus, he has sought methods to transform those stalemates into victories.

Over 20% of all non-penalty goals scored in the Premier League last season originated from corners or free-kicks, suggesting that Arteta has likely evaluated those statistics and concluded that if we can secure a fraction of that to enhance our game, we stand a strong chance of becoming a successful team.

His aspiration is to clinch the Premier League title for Arsenal, and he has now added another asset to his team’s skill set. His squad is brimming with talent and can now dominate opponents in open play, maintain clean sheets, and significantly, score consistently from set-plays.

It’s fantastic that Arteta has embraced set-pieces and, much like myself, I believe he remains unconcerned about critics who may deride him for it.

No matter the club you represent or your managerial style, you’ll often encounter external noise and criticism, but if you’re securing victories, your supporters will be incredibly grateful.

We witnessed this with Arsenal fans, who were chanting ‘set-piece again, ole ole ole’ when Eberechi Eze scored from Declan Rice’s free-kick for their decisive goal against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

It amuses me that a decade or so ago, I faced considerable backlash from Gunners supporters, and Arsene Wenger remarked that Stoke resembled a rugby team due to our corner strategies and long throws.

Another reason I hold nothing but admiration for Arteta is that he recognized this back then and thought, ‘you know what, employing this approach could benefit us’.

I’ve seen the tongue-in-cheek image of him dressed like me, complete with my baseball cap, and it brings me joy – he makes me appear attractive!

Wenger is likely shaking his head at Arsenal’s current tactics, but I know that Arteta views the Stoke comparisons as flattering, as do other Premier League managers employing similar strategies.

Wenger never appeared to recognize the importance of set-pieces, and he struggled against teams that played direct football like we did, prompting him to express his discontent regarding managers such as Sam Allardyce and myself.

I understand why he took that stance; it’s logical, but I don’t see many current managers complaining about direct play—even those who prefer to operate differently than I do.

I noticed Pep Guardiola being interviewed recently, where they attempted to elicit negative remarks from him regarding the resurgence of set-plays and long throws in the game.

He is one of the most pivotal managers this country has witnessed, and rather than grumble, he acknowledged that if he had a player with the physicality to execute throw-ins effectively, he might also adopt that strategy.

Undoubtedly, the fact that Arsenal, rather than Stoke, is at the forefront of this trend makes an impact. With Arteta implementing it at one of the largest and most renowned clubs in the world, it definitely catches everyone’s attention.

Thomas Frank applied similar tactics at Brentford, which are now benefitting him at Tottenham. Immediately after their victory over Everton, he engaged with fans, highlighting Micky van de Ven for his two impressive goals from set-pieces.

As this keeps occurring, more people are starting to recognize it. It’s similar to our time at the Britannia Stadium, where any throw would elicit cheers from the crowd until Rory Delap executed it, as it became an event.

This excitement is now being mirrored at Arsenal – fans are energized during corners even before the ball is in play. The anticipation and the pressure they place on their rivals is astonishing. Criticism still exists, but the accolades Arteta is receiving are completely justified.

One key difference today is that I managed all set-plays myself while I was at Stoke, Crystal Palace, or West Brom, whereas Arteta has enlisted Nicolas Jover as a specialized set-piece coach, leading to tremendous success.

Thus, perhaps Big Sam and I were indeed trendsetters all along, but I would emphasize that I remained unfazed by the heavy criticism we faced because I recognized the merits they offered to the club.

Some individuals were elitist and looked down upon our methods, yet nobody within the club held those views – we chuckled at the situation, knowing it was yielding results, and at that time, we had no intention of revealing it.

Sean Dyche shares a similar perspective. He expressed during the Managers podcast I host with Mick McCarthy last week how the trends in football fluctuate constantly, and reiterated this when he was appointed at Nottingham Forest shortly thereafter, mentioning me and Stoke’s long throws.

For Dyche, as with myself, the primary concern is winning.

Tony Pulis was conversing with BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.