Brighton Manager Fabian Hurzeler Critiques Arsenal's Corner Time-Wasting
Brighton currently sit 11th in the Premier League after securing consecutive victories against Nottingham Forest and Brentford. Ahead of their upcoming match against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Wednesday, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has called for stricter regulations regarding set-pieces and criticized Arsenal for what he describes as time-wasting tactics.
Hurzeler asserted that Arsenal sometimes take over a minute to execute corners, a practice he believes should be addressed by clearer rules. Arsenal's effectiveness on set-pieces has been a significant factor in their title challenge this season, with their recent win over Chelsea marking the ninth occasion they have scored a match-winning goal from a corner.
However, Arsenal have also been central to ongoing debates about physicality during set-pieces, with Everton manager David Moyes labeling them as pioneers of the so-called "dark arts" involving grappling and blocking.
When asked about the attention Arsenal's set-piece tactics have attracted, Hurzeler commented:
"There are no clear rules anymore [around] how much time you can spend taking a corner or a throw-in.
Some of the ways teams are blocking, there's no real rule. Sometimes the referee whistles and it's a foul, sometimes it isn't a foul or they don't whistle.
[We need] a clear rule on how much time you can take for a corner, a free-kick, because no-one recognises it. When Arsenal have a corner and they are leading, sometimes they spend over one minute just to take a corner."
Statistics indicate that Arsenal take longer on average to restart play from corners than any other Premier League team.
Hurzeler also emphasized the responsibility clubs have to ensure fans receive value for their money, stating:
"Every supporter pays a lot of money to watch our games and should see the same game time.
They want to see a football event, not maybe 50 minutes when the ball is in the game and 40 minutes when the game is not running,"
he said.
"But we won't change these rules immediately. We know how important set-pieces are. At the moment it's a big trend in the league and we definitely need to adapt to it."
Matches involving Hurzeler's Brighton have the ball in play 56.2% of the time, ranking fifth highest in the league and above Arsenal, who rank seventh with 55.7%.
Arsenal's average delay time for free-kicks, goal-kicks, and throw-ins aligns with other Premier League clubs, but their average delay of 44.35 seconds at corners is nearly 50% longer than Chelsea’s, the team they recently defeated with their 15th and 16th league goals from corner routines this season.
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The Premier League has already seen 138 goals scored from corners this season, surpassing the total from the entire previous campaign by three.
Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick expressed concern about the increasing physicality inside the penalty area during set-pieces, stating:
"It wasn't long ago we were told you couldn't lay a hand on anyone in the box and it would be stamped out,"
Carrick said at his news conference on Tuesday.
"It's crept in. The success of set-pieces, corners in particular, probably in terms of being able to put so many bodies close together, has made more teams do it because the success rate is so high.
It's understandable why there are so many teams doing it. As a game, it doesn't feel like we've got that balance right. I don't know what to do about it, it's not for me to decide."
These remarks came a day after Liverpool manager Arne Slot commented that he finds most Premier League matches less enjoyable to watch due to the growing emphasis on set-pieces, adding that his "football heart doesn't like" this trend.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged Slot's views and agreed "in some ways," but noted that set-pieces are an integral part of the game:
"When I was a young boy we said the people in England celebrate corners and free-kicks like a goal. I remember perfectly, so nothing has changed in that way,"
Guardiola said.
"Arsenal dictate how they do it and it is an important aspect. Four years ago in the NBA, the three-shot point was not involved as much but now so many teams do it. It is part of the dynamics.
You can sit and complain but you have to adapt."
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