Under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal have mastered the ‘dark arts’ of football, as demonstrated in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
After Leandro Trossard’s red card, the Gunners shifted to ultra-defensive tactics, using every possible method to slow down the game and protect their lead.
It almost paid off, but John Stones’ equaliser in the 98th minute ensured the points were shared.
Arsenal’s approach has sparked debate, with their resolute defending earning widespread praise, while the time-wasting left some, especially City players, frustrated.
This was also the second instance this season where an Arsenal player was sent off for receiving a second yellow card after kicking the ball away. However, Trossard’s dismissal was deemed more justified compared to Declan Rice’s red card against Brighton.
These incidents and reactions to Arteta’s tactics have raised intriguing questions.
Opta Analyst calculated the average delay for Premier League teams when taking corners, goal-kicks, free-kicks, penalties, throw-ins, and kick-offs. Arsenal lead the list, taking 31.8 seconds on average, followed closely by Leicester (31.7) and Brentford (31.2).
On the opposite end, West Ham are the quickest, with an average delay of 23.9 seconds, just ahead of Liverpool (24.1) and Tottenham (24.2).
Elsewhere, Manchester City rank 16th at 25.4 seconds, Manchester United 12th at 27.6 seconds, and Chelsea 7th with 29.3 seconds.
This trend isn’t new, as Arsenal ranked fourth for time-wasting last season, behind Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Aston Villa, with their delay time now 2.6 seconds higher than in 2023/24.
These statistics only cover the first four games of the 2024/25 season and don’t include last weekend’s matches, such as City vs Arsenal.
Premier League average delay times
Arsenal – 31.8 seconds
Leicester – 31.7 seconds
Brentford – 31.2 seconds
Wolves – 30.8 seconds
Aston Villa – 30.4 seconds
Everton – 30.3 seconds
Chelsea – 29.3 seconds
Brighton – 29.2 seconds
Nottingham Forest – 29.2 seconds
Newcastle – 29 seconds
Ipswich – 28.7 seconds
Man Utd – 27.6 seconds
Bournemouth – 27.5 seconds
Southampton – 26.9 seconds
Fulham – 26.4 seconds
Man City – 25.4 seconds
Crystal Palace – 24.4 seconds
Tottenham – 24.2 seconds
Liverpool – 24.1 seconds
West Ham – 23.9 seconds
Stats courtesy of Opta
If last weekend’s match had been included, Arsenal’s average delay time would likely have increased by a few more seconds, as they took an average of 42.7 seconds to restart play during their game at the Etihad.
Goalkeeper David Raya was a key contributor, taking an average of 45.3 seconds for each of his 12 goal-kicks. In total, this meant he used up over nine minutes of the game on goal-kicks alone.
Opta points out that Arsenal’s increased delay this season has been influenced by the two red cards in their draws against Brighton and Manchester City, as teams tend to waste more time when reduced to 10 men.
For example, aside from Raya’s performance against City, the most time-wasting goalkeeper this season was Newcastle’s Nick Pope in their match against Southampton, where the Magpies played with 10 men for over an hour.
It remains to be seen who will top the ‘dark arts’ rankings by the end of the season, especially with this Saturday’s match featuring a showdown between the two biggest time-wasters: Arsenal and Leicester.
