David Raya had 12 of these, and took full advantage each time. Each one took him 45.3 seconds on average to complete, meaning that in total Raya wasted over nine minutes of the game on goal-kicks alone.

https://x.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1838198621906571277?t=a-QpOLxSN0JtHOLu_MyflQ&s=19

by charmofcarnage

16 comments

  1. And still only get 6 mins extra time I thought they where adding more extra time for this reason 😂😂😂😂😂 but 2 of the most important things happened in extra time so I’m happy

  2. They keep claiming the ball was in play for the most minutes this season. 2 thoughts on that.

    1. All we could try and do was pass the ball around hoping space would open up.

    2. The 10 minutes the ball was out of play, they were faking injuries or wasting time for almost all of it.

  3. So glad Opta on the case – take that CSI Islington as someone called them yesterday!

    > But as well as defending stoutly, Arsenal certainly did employ some of the darker arts during their second-half display to burn as much time as possible and to disrupt City’s momentum. Going down with cramp, taking their time over goal-kicks, the lot.

    ManCity throw-ins:
    > On throw-ins, for example, they took just 9.5 seconds to get the ball back in play, way under the league average of 16.2 seconds.

    Arsenal other time wasting:
    > Aside from goal-kicks, the Gunners also took their time over their own free-kicks. Each one took them 43.3 seconds to take, **30% longer** than the average across the Premier League so far.

    > Of course, they did try to disrupt City’s set-pieces when they could. Gabriel Jesus, for example, was booked trying to delay a corner.

    The problem I have is that Arsenal, coaching staff & players inclusive, should just OWN what they were doing!! Instead they seem to be in denial about red card & other aspects of match.

  4. Fans of these clubs are the same ones which complain about City time-wasting (which is crazy since City basically never time waste)

  6. The amount of time wasting is frustrating. Goalies not picking up the nearest ball, kicking goal post, then when they’re about to take it, they let someone else, who pauses and then kicks.

    Newcastle, Man United, Arsenal and Everton were some of the worst I’ve seen at the Ethihad.

    Even taking throw ins from the right spot, I note City *rarely* move from where it goes out and do it quickly.

    It’s like we’re under so much scrutiny that Pep has said, don’t stoop to their level or give cause to highlight it. Even Super Jack has stayed on his feet more season before and this.

  8. It will not change unless they actually decide to be consistent with enforcing it, keepers especially will always push the boundaries with how long they can burn.

    My problem with it, is that other keepers get carded when they are taking the piss and others can do it freely all game and don’t get carded for it. It’s a joke. Some keepers are constantly stereotyped for being crafty timewasters “who know what they’re doing” whereas with Raya it’s “he will be in no rush to take this, and who would blame him?”

    Not to mention, the taking five or six touches with your feet and then picking it up just before the player closing them down gets there shouldn’t be allowed in the slightest as it just allows them to waste even more time, back when I played that scenario would be a penalty every time.

    Arsenal almost got themselves caught out with the goal kick thing against Bayern, then everyone started bleating about “actually in the spirit of the game, this shouldn’t be an issue or a penalty, Arsenal always do this goal kick routine” … Imagine Ederson passing the ball over to Dias on a goal kick and him just picking it up and putting it down when being closed down, there’d be outcry of corruption lmao

  9. The funny thing is that Ederson gets booked for time wasting for delaying on like 2 goals kicks, didn’t he get one in the first half last season?

    Opposition keepers time waste from minute one and never get punished so why would they stop.

  12. Think Newcastle and Everton fans need to save this picture when Arsenal inevitably cry about time wasting when they play each other.

  16. Playing with 10 men in both games. What’s the point? It’s the obvious smart play by anyone. You have to try and kill time. Especially if you were leading (which we were in both games at the point of sending off)

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