Fabian Hürzeler, the Brighton and Hove Albion head coach, has called on the Premier League to make an intervention and stop Arsenal from wasting time during games.
Hürzeler, who accused the league leaders of playing by “their own rules”, was furious with Arsenal who secured a gritty 1-0 victory at the Amex Stadium that extended their lead over Manchester City to seven points.
The German had accused Arsenal of dark arts earlier in the week, before doubling down in a blistering post-match press conference following his side’s narrow loss.
Hürzeler said there were “so many” examples of Arsenal wasting time, including goalkeeper David Raya claiming to be struggling with injury on three separate occasions.
In a criticism of Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, Hürzeler also said he would “never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way.”
Hürzeler said: “I ask one question: have you seen in the Premier League a goalkeeper going down three times? You can’t control these kinds of things, therefore the Premier League has to find the rule.
“If they win the Premier League, no one will ask how they win the Premier League. I think you can really feel that they do everything now to win this game, and in the end it’s about the rules. So if the referee allows everything, then they make their own rules. At the moment I have the feeling they are doing their own rules.
“I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way, I want to do well, I want my players to keep improving and to keep playing football on the pitch.
“In the end, of course, every team will manage and waste time, but I think there has to be a limit, and the limit has to be set by the Premier League, the limit has to be set by the referees. At the moment they just do what they want.”
“We have to make the limits. The Premier League has to make the limits. Where will this go in the future? That’s my question. Where will this go?”
Hürzeler and Arteta had exchanged words on the touchline during the game, with it being clear that there is no strong relationship between the two coaches.
Informed afterwards about the nature of Hürzeler’s post-match comments, Arteta said: “What a surprise. Just go back to previous games and you will find a lot of comments like this, always.
“I love my players. That’s the highlight. I love my players, we love our players and I love the way we compete.”
Asked if he cares what other managers say about him, Arteta said: “It depends.”
Asked if it depended on the manager, he added: “Yeah, and the comments. And the purpose of that.”
‘Anti-football’ charges against Arsenal and whether they are guilty
Arsenal have found themselves to be increasingly unpopular leaders of the Premier League, with rival fans, pundits and even opposition managers now complaining about their approach.
The latest to do so was Fabian Hürzeler. Are Arsenal truly guilty of these apparent footballing crimes? And if so, are they any more guilty than other clubs in the ultra-competitive Premier League?
Do Arsenal waste time at set-pieces?
Hürzeler was certainly correct, in his pre-match press conference, to point out that Arsenal often take an exceptionally long amount of time to deliver corners.
Before the midweek fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion, Arsenal’s average restart time from corners was 44.4 seconds – the longest of any team in the Premier League. In second place was Sunderland, on 41.4 seconds.
Long-time observers of Arsenal will know, though, that this tactic is not only deployed when they are winning matches or trying to run down the clock. This is a deliberate tactic that is deployed whether they are leading or not, with it clearly a central part of their secretive approach to dead-ball situations.
Part of the reason for the slow delivery is that the taker, usually either Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka, often converses with a team-mate in the box before heading towards the corner flag. This appears to be when they decide which “play” to use (such as whether to target the back post or front post).
It is also possible that the takers have been instructed to slow down and calm their heart rates before crossing into the box. Rice and Saka produce incredibly consistent and accurate deliveries. Perhaps this ability to slow down is one reason for their success.
Verdict
Guilty, but perhaps not for the reasons you might think.
Do Arsenal feign injury?
David Raya, the Arsenal goalkeeper, was effectively accused of feigning injury by Hürzeler after he went down three times during the game. It certainly looked like gamesmanship, although there is important context: Raya has genuinely been struggling with fitness issues in recent weeks. Mikel Arteta said on Sunday that he had “some niggles” last week.
Do Arsenal players often claim to be injured when they are not? One player with form for dramatics on the pitch is Gabriel Martinelli, which often frustrates his own fans and team-mates during games. Gabriel Magalhães, too, has been guilty of exaggeration.
Aside from that, though, our assessment is that Arsenal are no worse than any other team in the division. In fact, it is usually their opponents who frustrate them with such antics. After all, it is usually Arsenal who want an open, flowing match – and their opponents who want to slow them down.
Verdict
Not any more guilty than any other Premier League side
Are ‘boring’ Arsenal over-reliant on set-pieces?
Arsenal have been pilloried throughout the season for being hugely effective at attacking set-pieces, with complainants saying they play unattractive football. Arsenal, unsurprisingly, do not care at all about such criticism. They view set-pieces as an enormously important part of the game and take pride in the number of goals they score from these situations.
Arsenal’s supporters understandably point out that one of the reasons their matches are often decided by set-pieces is because their opponents regularly show no attacking ambition at all. In the majority of games, Arsenal are tasked with breaking down “deep blocks”, with the opponent placing all 11 players deep within their own half.
Against these spoiling tactics, Arsenal’s set-piece excellence is a powerful weapon. Arteta would certainly like to play against adventurous, high-pressing teams more often – just look at what his Arsenal team did to an open Tottenham Hotspur side a few weeks ago. Arsenal won 4-1 in thrilling style, with all four goals coming in open play.
Yes, there have been times when Arsenal have lacked a creative spark this season. But to suggest that Arteta actively wants cagey matches, which are decided by a corner or free-kick, would be to completely misunderstand his coaching philosophy and the skillset of his players.
Verdict
They can be over-reliant on set-pieces, but that is not by design. If you find them boring, blame their opponents.