Laura Woods has hit back at Eddie Howe as the Newcastle manager complained about Arsenal wasting time in their match yesterday.
Arsenal were in control of the game for the entirety of the fixture and frustrated Newcastle United in the second half.
When the Magpies wanted to storm back, the Gunners often halted their momentum, which was frustrating for the hosts.
However, Mikel Arteta’s men copied that from the Magpies, who did the same thing in the reverse fixture.
In that game, the ball was in play for less than 60 minutes as Newcastle players fell on the ground, delayed play and did everything they could to slow down Arsenal.
After Howe’s complaint about Arsenal wasting time, Woods replied to him on Talk Sport:
“Howe was referencing the lack of time the ball was in play – which is a big problem across the league.
“But particularly with Newcastle… this stat has cropped up across social media over the weekend.
“The stat is how long each team spends with the ball in play this season (on average). Newcastle are bottom with 52 per cent.
“Average delay before restarting play… Newcastle are second from bottom. Brentford are bottom of that one.
“Average delay time before goal kicks… Newcastle are bottom with 36.8 minutes.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Sometimes, you need to do all you can to frustrate your opponents and ensure you win, which is what Arsenal did in the game against Newcastle.
We knew they had the players and capability to hit back and had to ensure they did not have the momentum to take advantage of that.
Mikel Arteta buzzing after Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal – This game was all about pride.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…