A sharp-eyed supporter believes they’ve uncovered Mikel Arteta’s latest tactical innovation, aimed at exploiting a newly introduced Premier League rule during Arsenal’s narrow victory over Manchester United.
The Gunners kicked off their 2025/26 title campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Old Trafford, thanks to Riccardo Calafiori’s close-range finish from a pinpoint Declan Rice delivery. ..Continue Reading
While fans were thrilled to see fresh faces like Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko make their league debuts, one observer noticed something even more intriguing.
Arteta, known for his clever use of obscure regulations—sometimes drawing criticism from pundits like Jamie Carragher—may have instructed Gyokeres to pressure United’s goalkeeper in a bid to trigger a new rule.
This season, goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds risk conceding a corner to the opposition.
According to a fan on X, Arsenal’s pressing strategy seemed designed to take full advantage of this change, showcasing Arteta’s continued knack for finding marginal gains.
Posting on X, TaintlessRed suggested: “Arteta has a clear plan to delay goalkeepers kicking the ball after they’ve caught it in order to try to get corner kicks from the 8 second rule.
“Twice Referee blew his whistle due to Gyokeres delaying the keeper.”
Replying to the post, a Liverpool supporter added: “Yep I spotted that, it’s cynical, and they will start crying about refs if they get booked for it. So desperate for their set pieces.”
During the opening round of Premier League matches, Burnley’s new shot-stopper found himself on the wrong side of a fresh rule enforcement.
Referee Michael Oliver penalized Martin Dúbravka in his debut appearance for holding the ball too long in Burnley’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite being given a five-second warning, Dúbravka failed to release the ball in time, prompting the referee to award Spurs a corner kick just four minutes into the game.
Fortunately for the Slovak international, the resulting set piece didn’t lead to any immediate danger.
