Arsenal don’t need to make friends to win Premier League
BRIGHTON, England – It was fitting that the biggest joy of the evening in such a bad game came over something that happened elsewhere.
Arsenal had just claimed a 1-0 victory at Brighton when news spread seconds later that rivals Manchester City had drawn at home to Nottingham Forest, putting the Gunners seven points ahead and the Premier League title returning solely to their hands. A new optimism filled the traveling fans who, as they left, sang: “And now you will believe us, we will win the championship.”
Time will tell, but a swing like this could provide a memorable moment from a totally unforgettable match. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka scored the only goal after nine minutes with a tame strike that took a slight deflection off Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, not exonerating goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s shaky effort to attempt a save. Arsenal remained largely passive after that, content to slow the game down and conserve energy and possession, to a point that made Brighton worse off from the start.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler set the tone to some extent with his pre-match comments highlighting the time it takes Arsenal to get back into the game from the corners. The local fans got the message. They roared in derision as the Gunners were slow to get going on goal kicks, corners, free kicks – basically, every time the ball went out of play. Goalkeeper David Raya fell to the ground several times. Referee Chris Kavanagh warned him against wasting time at one point.
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Hurzeler protested to fourth official David Webb and even exchanged heated words with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta midway through the first half. Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié appeared to silence Hurzeler as he took a throw-in through the Brighton dugout shortly before half-time. The animosity continued afterwards as Brighton began to gather momentum, energized by the half-time introduction of Yankuba Minteh.
However, Arteta spoke of the need to tackle Arsenal’s game management after a number of shaky second-half performances. Credit where credit is due: they saw the last 20 minutes with some authority.
The end justified the means, but when the sentence was put to Hurzeler, he chose to launch a scathing attack on Arsenal’s approach. “There are different types of victories,” he replied. “If they win the Premier League, no one will ask how they won the Premier League.
“You really feel that they are doing everything to win this game. At the end of the day, it’s about the rules. If the Premier League, if the referee allows everything, then it’s difficult. They make their own rules.
“…Do you want to send off the goalkeeper for two yellow cards for wasting time? That will never happen. So what should he do? That’s the problem, and that’s why you need rules, limits.
“That’s also it [referee Kavanagh] admits to me at halftime. We just talked about how he can reduce wasted time, and he said it’s not even difficult for him. We need clear rules because this helps protect the referee. They need to stick to certain things and the Premier League needs to help them more.”
The criticism continued. Hurzeler said he liked the way his team played and that “there was only one team trying to play football today.”
“…I’ll never be that kind of coach that tries to win that way,” he said. “I want to develop the players. I want the players to keep improving, to keep playing football on the pitch. Ultimately every team will cope and waste time but I think there has to be a limit.
“I don’t know if we would now ask everyone here in the room, ‘Did they really enjoy that football game?’ I’m sure maybe one raises his arm because he’s a huge Arsenal fan. Other than that, no chance.”
“Where is this going to take us in the future? That’s my question. One game, we play 60 minutes of natural time, then you play Arsenal, only 50 minutes. There’s 10 minutes difference. Is this what the fans are paying for?”
Arteta refused to answer. “What a surprise,” he said when the gist of Hurzeler’s rant was presented to him.
Brighton may not have been able to stop Arsenal’s title quest, but they added to the soundtrack for the weeks to come. Alongside the criticism the Gunners face over their reliance on set pieces, there is now a public condemnation of their time-wasting, which other opponents will be questioned about and the crowds outside will seize on every example.
It only adds to what Arteta calls the outside noise surrounding Arsenal’s bid to win their first title since 2004. But when the dust settles, the Gunners will reflect on a night when they extended their lead at the top and piled the pressure on City.
If it comes down to choosing between winning over friends and winning the title, there’s no contest.
