Parma & Cuesta take leaf out of Arsenal book to conquer Milan at San Siro

Whatever your view on the legality of Mariano Troilo’s winner as Parma beat Milan 1-0 at San Siro, one thing is beyond dispute, it was no accident.

The positioning of Lautaro Valenti in front of Mike Maignan was carefully choreographed, and the man behind that choreography has a very particular source of inspiration.

Carlos Cuesta spent five years as Mikel Arteta’s assistant at Arsenal between 2020 and 2025, and during that time he would have worked closely alongside Nicolas Jover, the set-piece coach Arteta brought to the club in 2021 who has since become one of the most influential figures in modern football.

Milan 0-1 Parma – How Cuesta drew inspiration from Arsenal to secure huge win

Jover’s corner routines have been widely credited as a significant weapon in Arsenal’s armoury, with the Gunners having scored 19 set-piece goals across all competitions by late January.

The principle is straightforward but devastatingly effective: flood the six-yard box and the near post, make life as difficult as possible for the goalkeeper, and operate right on the edge of what the laws permit.

It appears Cuesta was paying close attention. Even Allegri’s assistant Marco Landucci acknowledged as much on DAZN.

“They are semi-blocks that don’t get whistled,” he said. “He was placed there deliberately to play the ball to the far post.”

Cuesta himself was refreshingly candid: “When we work on set-pieces, we try to have players ready to score.”

It is a smart adaptation from a coach who has impressed throughout his debut Serie A campaign, ditching any ideological rigidity in favour of pragmatism and working intelligently with the players at his disposal.

Whether Valenti crossed the line of legality is a debate for the referees. What is not up for debate is that Parma came to San Siro with a plan, and it worked.