Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has aimed at Arsenal ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium, accusing the title leaders of wasting time at set pieces.
Arsenal have been one of the most dangerous sides in England from dead-ball situations this season, scoring 16 of their 58 league goals from corners and free-kicks, the joint most by any side in a single Premier League campaign.
Their approach is deliberate and well-drilled, with players taking their time to position themselves, set up blocks and organise routines before the ball is delivered. Hurzeler has watched it closely and does not like what he sees.
“I think no one recognises it, but when Arsenal have a corner, and they are leading, sometimes they spend over a minute just to take a corner,” the Brighton manager said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, quoted by Goal.
“Therefore, we just have to make clear rules, because then in the end we have a natural game time of 50 minutes instead of sometimes 65 minutes.”
The 33-year-old also made the point that supporters who pay large amounts of money to attend games deserve to see a consistent amount of actual football, regardless of which teams are playing or how a match is going.
“They want to see a football event, and they don’t want to see maybe 50 minutes the ball is in the game, and 40 minutes the game is not,” he said.
His argument is backed by data, too. Arsenal ranks among the slowest clubs in the division to restart play, specifically at corners.
Hurzeler was, however, careful to acknowledge Arsenal’s quality in the same breath, calling them the best in the world at set pieces, but stating that admiring the craft does not mean accepting the delays that come with it.
Arsenal go into the game five points clear at the top of the table and have won their last four league games, including the 4-1 derby win over Tottenham last Sunday. Brighton, who sit 11th, have won their last two.
