Arsenal's 'time wasting' tactics have made them some enemies - but rival fan criticism is pure hypocrisy
Arsenal drew plenty of criticism from rival fans as they looked to run down the clock in their 2-2 draw with Man City
Manchester City and Arsenal played out a thriller of a Sunday clash as the two Premier League title challengers each settled for a point after a 2-2 draw. Despite the Gunners going 2-1 ahead, pressure mounted when Leandro Trossard was sent off just before half-time, forcing them to play the full second half and hefty chunk of stoppage time with ten men.
John Stones shattered Arsenal’s hearts when he popped up with a 98th minute equaliser, finally finding the breakthrough his side had been pushing hard for. The match ended with significantly high stats for Man City, as they spent the second half working to break down Arsenal’s defence. They held 78 percent of the possession, made 705 passes compared to Arsenal’s 208, and registered a total of 33 shots with 11 on target.
Despite the dagger that was the last-minute goal, Mikel Arteta admitted it was ‘a miracle’ that his side managed to come away with a point, which could be a huge result further down the line. He also admitted he had ‘no clue’ if Arsenal would have come away from the Etihad with the win if Trossard had stayed on.
His tactics for trying to cling on to his lead did not go down well with the opposition, though. Arsenal fought for their lives to try and keep City at bay and accusations of time-wasting sparked during the second half.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Kyle Walker said: “As a football match, it is a great spectacle for the Premier League. Probably not so much certain stuff ‚ I think it’s part and parcel of the game and we'll say the dark arts. I think as a Manchester City fan or player, you are obviously frustrated. As an Arsenal manager, he is going to say well played and well managed.”
Arteta has since responded to the comments and backed up his decisions to deploy a heavily defensive second half approach.
“Well, we had to play the game that we had to play. The first 15 minutes, we couldn't. They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look what they did. It's normal what they did. Unfortunately, we've been in the same situation. We were in that same situation with Granit [Xhaka] when we lost 5-0 [in 2021]. So we'd better learn. If not I would be very thick.”
David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Martinelli were all accused of time-wasting after going down with cramp. However, a new fitness update has reported that Raya and Calafiori could be doubts for the midweek fixtures, while Timber hasn’t long returned from a lengthy injury.
Man City will certainly be frustrated they were denied a crucial three points at home in their title charge. However, Arsenal are determined to get their hands on the title this time after narrowly missing out in the last two seasons. The Gunners can smell their chance this season and they are pushing to win every match in any manner possible.
Similar to the players and manager, most fans want their team to win no matter what and would encourage them to take any ethical approach necessary to get the job done. Granted, when it’s done against your side, it can be the most infuriating thing to endure, but looking out for how the opposition might feel is not going to aid a trophy hunt. While it does ruffle feathers when another team is doing it, if it works in your favour, there is an extremely small pool of fans who are going to disagree with the tactics of the ‘dark arts’.
Think of the Chelsea fans who chuckled with glee at David Luiz’s infamous theatrics to get Man United’s Rafael sent off back in 2013. And while we’re on the subject of the Red Devils, can a United fan honestly say they didn’t take some delight in their former star man Cristiano Ronaldo’s numerous attempts to con the officiating staff? What of Liverpool’s Luiz Suarez turning ex-Everton boss David Moyes’ ginger locks to steel grey with his persistent displays of theatrics? Or Spurs’ former beloved striker Harry Kane, who’s had more than his fair share of flirting with ‘simulation’. Let’s face it: every club does it at some point, and you only don’t hate it when it’s the club you support pulling the wool over the referee’s eyes.
‘Time-wasting’ tactics specifically will never be eradicated from football, as there will always be a situation where a team desperately needs a Plan B to earn a result. It’s not the prettiest way to win, nor is it the fairest or most sportsmanlike, but it’s something teams will continue to do to get the result they want. Now let’s collectively un-clutch those pearls, shall we?