Amid increasing criticism of Arsenal’s approach to winning matches, Alan Pardew has delivered his assessment of Mikel Arteta’s men following their latest victory.
The Gunners defeated Brighton 1-0 at the Amex, however their performance has sparked debate due to accusations of time wasting during the match. It is not the first time Arsenal have faced such criticism, but their early goal allowed them to control the game and manage the tempo in a way that protected their advantage.
Once ahead, Arsenal focused on limiting Brighton’s opportunities to build momentum, maintaining possession and slowing the pace whenever possible. Reports suggested that roughly half an hour of the match was spent on restarts alone, as the Gunners were accused of delaying play whenever they could. Despite the controversy, the strategy proved effective, with Arsenal holding on to secure all three points in their push for the EPL title this season.
Match Management Sparks Debate
Brighton’s manager criticised Arsenal both before and after the game, expressing frustration at what he viewed as deliberate attempts to disrupt the flow of play. His comments quickly went viral, generating widespread discussion among fans and pundits. Given Arsenal’s prominence and the number of rival supporters who closely follow the club, such reactions were perhaps inevitable. While some argue the tactics are part of professional game management, others believe they reduce the entertainment value of the performance.
Pardew Delivers His Verdict
Arsenal appear determined to prioritise results over aesthetics this season, with the club focused on winning the title. Offering his perspective on the team’s style, Alan Pardew said via ESPN: “At the moment it looks like Arsenal are going to see it through. There’ll be an asterisk next to their name because you’ve only got to look at them really in these type of performances and say it’s just a functional display.
“It’s a professional, functional display. They’re good, they’re strong, they’re powerful. But there is nothing beautiful about them. That’s the truth.”
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The asterisk remark really bugged me. No mention of how Chelsea and City were financed nor the cloud still sitting over the charges
Alan Pardew has never won the premier league so how can he comment?
And yes never a mention about other teams.. only Arsenal seem to get this crap !
They say either bottlers or cheats,…
Well at present we have :
Most goals
Least conceded
Most points
I don’t believe you’ve managed in the prem league -have you ?
So if he can’t comment surely you shouldnt be either .
Entitled to his opinion on the style of play, but the “asterisk” comment does go a bit too far for me. I don’t think he meant it that way, but an asterisk implies there was something wrong with it, like when juventus had their titles stripped, the teams that were subsequently given them in post would have been asterisk champions (not their fault, but it is what it is).
Plenty of sides have won the title without playing beautiful football – including utd under Ferguson who hoovered up several through lack of competition and going on runs of 1-0 wins. None of those are “asterisk” victories, as they won them by simply being the best team that year – if we win this year, it will have been earned.
If asterisks are to be used in order to denote something, then every trophy city115 have won since 2010 should have one against it – until we know if they are guilty or not.