Revolutionizing Premier League: Unveiling a Game-Changing Solution to Eliminate Time Wasting - A Must-Read!

Mikel Arteta appreciated Arsenal's close victory against Crystal Palace but suggests that using a stopwatch could help address inconsistencies in time-wasting after Takehiro Tomiyasu committed a violation. The Gunners prevailed with a 1-0 win in south London, with Martin Odegaard's penalty in the second half proving crucial.

At Selhurst Park, Japan defender Tomiyasu received a red card after getting a questionable yellow card for a foul on Jordan Ayew. This happened just seven minutes after being cautioned for perceived time-wasting at a throw-in. The new guidelines for officiating this season include cracking down on time-wasting, but Arteta feels that the timing of Tomiyasu's booking was questionable.

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Takehiro Tomiyasu was sent off by David Coote

Asked about the rule changes, Arteta replied: "For me it is not an issue. The referee makes that call.

"We are committed to being consistent. This was explained to them. Our only request is for consistency. Otherwise, we will have to rely on a stopwatch to determine what is acceptable and what is not."

When informed that Tomiyasu had waited 23 seconds before taking the throw-in and receiving a caution, Arteta disagreed, stating, "No, it was eight seconds. Perhaps we should resort to using a stopwatch."

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Despite the red card, Arsenal made it two wins from two

"This is the standards."

Managers often overlook incidents that challenge their own loyalties, conveniently forgetting them.

Earlier this year, an investigation conducted by We uncovered that approximately half of the Premier League matches are uneventful, with time-wasting, VAR deliberations, and other interruptions being the main culprits. What's concerning is that this problem is only deteriorating.

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Last season, the percentage of 'in-play action' in matches averaged only 55.9% - this marked the lowest figure in 11 years since record-keeping began. Moreover, this percentage has been gradually decreasing in eight of those seasons.

Time-wasting: 14 yellow cards in 19 games

Referees are implementing new regulations to prevent time-wasting during goal celebrations, substitutions, and injuries. These rules, inspired by the recent men's and women's World Cups, aim to maximize the time the ball is actively in play. As a result, the opening 19 Premier League games of the new season have already seen 14 yellow cards issued for time-wasting. If this rate continues, there would be approximately 280 bookings for time-wasting throughout the entire season.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has provided clear guidelines in hopes that players will pay attention to the warning. Out of the 14 cases reported, the majority have occurred during throw-ins, which have traditionally been used to waste time and impede the game to favor a particular team.

In the Tomiyasu case, the Japanese football player was penalized for retaining possession of the ball for eight seconds. However, Arsenal collectively held onto the ball during the restart for a total of 23 seconds, with two teammates taking turns in assuming responsibility.

During a discussion on Monday Night Football, Gary Neville expressed the belief that Tomiyasu's red card would have a more significant impact on discouraging time-wasting among players compared to the common practice of adding 15 minutes at the end of games.

The first yellow card I want to mention is when I recently met Howard Webb. We discussed how the current rules in the game aim to prevent time-wasting, and this is addressed by issuing a yellow card, which may escalate to a red card.

In my opinion, whenever players receive a second yellow card, like in the case of Tomiyasu, it will always be deemed as a yellow card.

If defenders or other players on the field engage in time-wasting, they will receive a booking. The sending off, in terms of curbing time-wasting, will have a greater effect than adding 15 minutes at the end.

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Sandro Tonali is given a yellow card for wasting time, after Aston Villa game.

The Palace fans immediately exerted pressure on referee David Coote to caution Arsenal for their tactic of deliberately slowing down the game when they were in the lead, and Thomas Partey was warned just moments before the incident.

Kai Havertz had then initially picked up the ball to take the throw-in before passing it on to the full-back.

"The rule is there, we know what it is," Jamie Carragher told We.

I expressed sympathy for Tomiyasu as he sacrificed himself for the team. The order of events was nearly Partey, then Havertz, and it was nearly a yellow card for time-wasting, requiring someone to take it.

He ended up receiving the card. It feels unjust when you consider that we had a player [Arteta] sent off, creating a sense of being under attack. However, the decision to dismiss him was the correct one.

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"He received an initial warning, which requires caution when on a yellow card. Yes, he had to be penalized for that. It may have appeared slightly minor, as it wasn't a severe pull, but once he was already on a yellow card, he had to be sent off for it. I believe it would be unfair to question the referee's decision in this matter."

Arteta may observe the inconsistencies in the Premier League's handling of time-wasting and consider alternative approaches. It seems that certain referees have been more lenient than others in determining the appropriate duration for issuing a booking.

Should we consider implementing a stop-clock system similar to rugby, with shorter halves and the clock pausing whenever the ball is out of play? This way, everyone would have a clear understanding of the time remaining.

How long did each offender take in time-wasting?

Ben White - Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest - Throw-in | Minute: 91:14 | Time-wasting: 13 secs

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During Arsenal's 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest, Ben White received a caution from referee Michael Oliver for his time-wasting tactics. In the closing moments of the match, White deliberately prolonged the throw-in process, taking a total of 13 seconds before Oliver intervened and decided to issue a booking to the defender.

Kenny Tete - Everton vs Fulham - Free-kick | Minute: 86:15 | Time-wasting: 11 secs

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Kenny Tete delayed taking a free-kick for Fulham

In Fulham's victory over Everton, Kenny Tete received a caution from referee Stuart Attwell for deliberately stalling the execution of a free-kick. Tete spent 11 seconds lingering over the set-piece until Attwell intervened and issued a yellow card to the defender.

As for Sandro Tonali in the match between Newcastle and Aston Villa, during the 91st minute and 11 seconds, he was penalized for impeding the restart by wasting approximately 17 seconds.

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Sandro Tonali hesitated in exiting the field after Newcastle's 5-1 triumph against Aston Villa, leading referee Andy Madley to caution him for impeding the restart subsequent to Newcastle's fifth goal.

Eddie Howe had already requested the player's substitution, however, it took 17 seconds for him to exit the field of play, causing a delay in the restart of the match between Sheffield United and Crystal Palace. This time-wasting incident occurred at minute 15:49, specifically taking 11 seconds.

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In Sheffield United's 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, William Osula was cautioned by referee John Brooks for intentionally prolonging the restart. Osula deliberately kicked the ball away after being penalized for being in an offside position. It took 11 seconds for the ball to be retrieved and for Palace to proceed with the free-kick.

Trent Alexander-Arnold - Chelsea vs Liverpool - Throw-in | Minute 67:15 | Time-wasting: 21 secs

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Trent Alexander-Arnold was booked at a throw-in

During Liverpool's match against Chelsea, there was a 1-1 draw and Trent Alexander-Arnold received a caution from referee Anthony Taylor for taking too long to execute a throw-in. Alexander-Arnold took a total of 21 seconds to retrieve the ball and position himself for the throw-in, causing Taylor to become impatient.

At the Manchester United vs Wolves game, Rayan Ait-Nouri committed time-wasting during a throw-in at the 34th minute and 31 seconds. Ait-Nouri took approximately 19 seconds to perform the throw-in, leading to the accusation of time-wasting.

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Rayan Ait-Nouri received a caution from referee Simon Hooper during Wolves' 1-0 loss to Manchester United. The caution was given due to Ait-Nouri's delay in taking a throw-in, with the referee blowing his whistle 19 seconds after the player had possession of the ball.

Ben Osborn - Nottingham Forest vs Sheffield United - Throw-in | Minute: 85:19 | Time-wasting: 16 secs

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Ben Osborn was booked for time-wasting

Ben Osborn had little to complain about either. In Sheffield United's eventual 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest, Osborn seemed to believe that a ball boy would fetch the ball, but he lazily approached it himself. Sixteen seconds later, with the ball still not back in play, referee Peter Bankes showed Osborn a yellow card. Three minutes later, Chris Wood scored the winning goal for Forest.

Rico Henry - Fulham vs Brentford - Throw-in | Minute: 60:25 | Time-wasting: 18 secs

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Rico Henry was cautioned at a throw-in

Brentford's Rico Henry frustrated referee Darren Bond by taking a throw-in that lasted 18 seconds. There was no collaboration or passing the ball to another player, just Henry holding onto it for nearly two decades.

During the Wolves vs Brighton match, Pascal Gross caused a delay in the restart. At the 7-minute and 33-second mark, he engaged in time-wasting tactics for a mere 4 seconds.

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Pascal Gross received a yellow card for engaging in gamesmanship during the match by preventing Wolves from taking a quick throw-in. He did so to give his teammates enough time to regroup and get back into position.

Referee Andy Madley - fresh from booking Tonali the week before - was having none of it.

Julio Enciso - Wolves vs Brighton - Delaying restart | Minute: 18:57 | Time-wasting: 4 secs

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Julio Enciso was penalized for deliberately kicking the ball away. He showed a lack of attentiveness towards Gross' wrongdoing and consequently received a yellow card for intentionally throwing the ball in the direction opposite to where Wolves had been awarded a free-kick.

Matheus Nunes - Wolves vs Brighton - Delaying restart | Minute: 75:58 | Time-wasting: 4 secs

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Matheus Nunes was also punished for slowing down a restart - he was later sent off for a second bookable offence

Andy Madley had previously booked Gross and Enciso for the same reason during the match, so, in order to maintain consistency, he had to book Nunes for the same offence. It is worth noting that in all three instances, the ball was put back into play just four seconds later.

During the Aston Villa vs Everton match, Jordan Pickford was penalized for delaying the game. This incident occurred at the 23rd minute and 33rd second mark, and the time wasted was only four seconds.

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Jordan Pickford hindered Douglas Luiz during the penalty.

Referee Anthony Taylor, who had just cautioned Alexander-Arnold, was cautious of Jordan Pickford's actions prior to Douglas Luiz's penalty for Aston Villa. As Taylor left the penalty area, Pickford positioned himself behind the Villa goal, possibly double-checking his water bottle for a swift reminder of the penalty-taker's choice.

There was nothing wrong with that. However, Pickford made the choice to step away from his position just as Taylor had requested him to remain on it. Consequently, the Everton goalkeeper received a booking, and Luiz went on to score.

Takehiro Tomiyasu, during the Crystal Palace versus Arsenal match, executed a throw-in at the 59th minute and 4 seconds of the game. This action resulted in a time-wasting duration of 8 seconds.

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Tomiyasu is shown his first yellow card, which is the first of two. The issue of time allowed for a team or individual to take a throw-in is a source of contention, according to Arteta.

The Japan international received a penalty for retaining the ball for eight seconds. However, Arsenal collectively held possession of the restart for 23 seconds, with two teammates sharing the responsibility. In this situation, David Coote penalized Tomiyasu, but he would have warned the entire Arsenal team about the need to stop wasting time, which had already started after Odegaard's goal.

Kai Havertz - Crystal Palace vs Arsenal - Delaying restart | Minute: 93:12 | Time-wasting: 5 secs

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Kai Havertz delayed the restart in added time

Is the new stoppage time working?

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Everyone has a view on it.

Pep Guardiola, the manager who led his team to win three titles last season, has been accused of dehumanizing his players.

The players have expressed their concerns about the increased workload and its negative impact on their mental well-being.

Some pundits agree with it, and some do not. The PFA chief has said that we are sleepwalking into a disaster.

So what is this new rule that is causing so much debate?

Read the feature in full here