Former Sunderland star references Newcastle United amid Arsenal criticism

Former Sunderland star Don Hutchison has hit out at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after it was revealed the Gunners take more time to restart a game than any of their Premier League rivals.

Arteta’s side were criticised in some quarters for the tactics employed in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Premier League title rivals Manchester City. After Leandro Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away and delaying a restart in first-half injury-time, the Gunners were accused of employing what some consider to be the ‘dark arts’ by time-wasting throughout the second-half.

Their efforts to preserve what would have been a big win in the title race went without maximum reward after England defender John Stones snatched a point for City in the seventh minute of injury-time. Arteta said little of his tactics in his post-match interview but has reference the tactics utilised by Newcastle United in recent seasons as he became a regular critic of Eddie Howe’s side.

Speaking ahead of last season’s visit to St James Park, the Gunners boss openly discussed what he perceived to be time-wasting tactics after Newcastle were revealed to be the Premier League side that took the longest to restart a game when taking a goal kick. Just 24 hours before what would be a stormy affair on Tyneside that would become a controversial win for the Magpies, Arteta said: “We are so used to (these) things that we do as well.  Every team tries to use tactics to manage the game in the right way.  It's not something new and we are trying to get better at everything, and tomorrow this will be something minimal in the course of the game.  (It's) a big one.

“It's one of the toughest places to go and win but we've done it. There is nothing new to it.  You want to play in those atmospheres, like going to Seville you know what you're going to get. It's an incredible privilege to play in those grounds, and you have to embrace the moment and enjoy it and go for it because it's worth it.  It's an incredible football atmosphere.”

When a new stat was revealed showing Arsenal take a league high 34 seconds on average to restart a game, Hutchinson referenced Arteta’s attitude towards Newcastle as he hit out at the Gunners boss.

Replying to an X (formerly Twitter) post, Hutchison said: “Quite ironic this, as Arteta acted very immature accusing Newcastle United of this a couple of seasons ago.”