Jamie Carragher has suggested that Arsenal are more streetwise than many of their rivals when it comes to time-wasting and taking advantage of the laws of the game.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were accused of wasting time during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Manchester City after Leandro Trossard was sent off late in the first half.
Goalkeeper David Raya was alleged to be one of Arsenal’s chief time-wasters after he sat on the ground on multiple occasions while complaining about an injury.
Many fans believed that Raya was faking or at least exaggerating his injury, although he was also seen hobbling after the game.
IFAB rules dictate that any player who receives medical treatment on the field must then come off, albeit only briefly. However, this rule does not apply to goalkeepers. It also does not apply if a goalkeeper has collided with an outfield player or if two players from the same team have collided and both need attention.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured holding the ball during his team’s 2-2 draw at Man City
Gunners goalkeeper David Raya was widely accused of time-wasting at the Etihad Stadium
Discussing Sunday’s game on The Overlap this week, Carragher claimed that former Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho used to be the master when it came to using these rules to his advantage.
Carragher also stated that Arteta now seems to have followed in Mourinho’s footsteps.
‘Mourinho was always ahead of the game in terms of trying to gain an advantage somewhere,’ said Carragher.
‘There’s one thing I do notice Arsenal doing more than anyone. I don’t know if the stats back me up [but] I think the goalkeeper goes down a lot more than other goalkeepers in tense situations.
‘The rule is a goalkeeper can’t go off, so that’s definitely one that the coaching staff at Arsenal are more switched on about than anyone else. I see Raya go down in pressure situations.’
Man United legend Paul Scholes was also on The Overlap and he replied: ‘Cheating, that’s called, isn’t it Jamie?’
Carragher responded: ‘It is, but you said it so you can have the headline, not me.’
Jamie Carragher believes that Arsenal’s players have been coached to waste time expertly
Manchester United icon Paul Scholes described Arsenal’s tactics against City as ‘cheating’
Arsenal would have gone top of the Premier League had they won at City on Sunday but John Stones rescued a draw for the champions with a 98th-minute equaliser.
The Gunners will next be in league action on Saturday when Leicester travel to the Emirates Stadium.
