Furious Fabian Herzeler said “only one team was trying to play football” in Brighton’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal and accused the Gunners of “making up their own rules” as he called it a waste of time.
Hurzeler’s Brighton lost 1-0 to the Premier League leaders thanks to an early strike from Bukayo Saka. It was Arsenal’s only shot on target in 87 minutes.
Angry home fans at the Amex Stadium booed the referee and the visitors for wasting time, and Herzeler felt Arsenal had gone too far.
In the postgame press conference, Herzeler complained:
- Only one team attempted football.
- Arsenal make their own rules during matches
- He would never tell his team to play that way
- Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was injured three times without punishment.
- The league must find a way to punish
- No one but Arsenal fans enjoyed this game.
- Supporters deserve better
In response to Herzeler’s strong criticism, the Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Said: “I was really surprised!
“When I go back to previous games, I always get a lot of comments like this.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reacted to Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler calling his side a ‘waste of time’.
“I love my players. That’s the highlight. I love my players, I love our players, I love the way we compete.
“I think they (critics) like our players. I mean, whenever they talk about our players, they think they are the most loved players in our country.”
Asked if he cares what other managers think, Arteta replied: “Do I care? Yes. It depends. It depends on the comments. And the purpose.”
See below for everything Fabian Hurzeler had to say about Arsenal’s style of play and the way Premier League football is played in his explosive press conference.
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Premier League highlights as Brighton take on Arsenal
His thoughts on the game…
Herzeler: “I don’t think statistics ever lie. We gave up one shot on goal, we created a lot of chances but we weren’t very efficient. We could have been more cool-headed and calm in the final third and made better decisions.
Brighton 0-1 Arsenal match statistics
“We could have created more chances, but overall, as you said, we lost and we are all disappointed with the performance.
“I loved my boys’ effort and the way they played their football. “I think there was only one team that tried to play football today, so I’m proud of the way they did it.
“We have to keep working on the details, we have to keep improving those little margins in the final third to create more chances, but that is our job and responsibility and we will keep working on it.”
David Raya on going down three times during a match.
Herzeler: “I ask you a question: Have you seen a goalkeeper go down three times in a Premier League game? No? So I don’t think we should waste too many words on that tonight. We have to focus on ourselves, focus on our performance. We can’t control these things.
“So the Premier League has to find the rules and that’s none of my business. I made my point before the game and I stick to it. At the end of the day, we are football coaches and there is no other football coach who can manage the game and help the team win. So the focus is on that.”
How difficult it was to create a rhythm against Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka quietly celebrates after giving Arsenal the opener against Brighton.
Herzeler: “It was very difficult, very difficult, but we tried, we tried hard, we tried to keep the ball moving, we kept trying to create chances and at the end of the day, I think you can only punish these kinds of opponents by winning.
“So today I have no argument from my point of view. If I had won 2-1, if I had deserved a 2-1 win, I would say it differently. So we have to find a way to punish it, we have to find a way to find a solution for these kinds of teams and that is our responsibility. So we have to keep working.
“Complaining doesn’t help, so that’s why we focus.”
‘I will never be a manager who plays like that.’
Herzeler: “No one will ask how they win the Premier League if they win the Premier League because there are different types of wins. “I think you can really feel that they are doing everything right now to win this game and at the end of the day it is about the rules.
“In the Premier League, if the referee allows everything, it’s difficult for them to make their own rules. At the moment, the feeling is that no matter how Arsenal play, they are following their own rules. So I think it is difficult to judge.”
“Overall, like I said, I will never be that manager who tries to win that way. I want the players to keep improving and keep playing football on the pitch. Of course, every team will manage and waste time, but there has to be a limit, the Premier League has to set that limit, that limit has to be set by the referee and at that moment they can do what they want.”
‘Did anyone enjoy it? ‘No chance.’
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Manchester City missed a huge chance to win against Nottingham Forest in the final seconds but failed to capitalize, and Arsenal fans ended up celebrating a draw at the Amex after the final whistle.
Herzeler: “Everyone here, did you really enjoy this game of football? Maybe you’ll raise your arms because you’re an Arsenal fan, but other than that, there’s no chance.
“So, again, we’re wasting too much time talking about Arsenal and their games.
“It’s really focusing on us, focusing on the positives, focusing on the effort our team put in today. They deserved more. But again, we didn’t get the result we deserved, so we’ll have to keep working harder next time to punish them.”
Would it be bad for Arsenal to win the league like that?
Herzeler: “Then they are champions. But I think it’s always about the way we just talked about, the way they win, which way they choose. And if they win, I said: No one will ask how they won, then they deserved to win.
“But at the end of the day, we have to create limits – or the Premier League has to create limits. Where will this go in the future? That’s my question. Where will this go?
“For example, if you play a game for 60 minutes and then only play 50 minutes against Arsenal, there is a 10-minute difference. So is this the price the supporters are paying? Do you understand me?”
Is it the referee’s fault?
Herzeler: “It’s difficult. I told him (referee Chris Kavanagh): I’m not going to complain to the referee because it’s difficult for him. Would you send a goalkeeper off with two yellow cards for wasting time? This will never happen. What should he do then?”
“I think that’s why we need rules, we need restrictions, because that’s what he admitted to me at half-time: I didn’t even talk about penalties that could be taken before half-time, I only talked about how to reduce wasted time and he even said that was difficult for him.”
“That’s why I said it’s the responsibility of the Premier League to set clear rules, because that way we can protect referees.”
“At the end of the day, you can’t be a referee, for example, they’re just trying to do their job as best as they can, but they have to stick to a few things and I think the Premier League should definitely help them more.”
Analysis: Were Hurzeler’s complaints justified? Or was it a deflection tactic?
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright at the Amex Stadium:
Fabian Hurzeler’s comments will determine the outcome of the game. He raised the issue of wasting time in his pre-match press conference, so it was no surprise to hear him return to this topic after a harrowing evening that ended in a defeat for his side.
His frustration was justified, at least to some extent. Having taken an early lead, Arsenal clearly sought to disrupt the flow of play, incurring the ire of the home fans and their manager, who spent the night protesting to the fourth official.
This was an ugly encounter. The stop-start nature certainly suited the visitors better than Brighton. But against Arsenal’s poor form, Herzeler may also look at his side’s shortcomings. They had enough possession to hurt Arsenal but couldn’t.
According to Opta, their 11 shots were just 0.8 of the expected goals, and it’s telling that for all their dominance on the ball and in the area, Raya were unable to make a save after 63 minutes when Mats Wieffer headed the ball straight in.
Hurzeler succeeds in shaping the narrative in the game’s aftermath. But his complaints will be of little concern to Arsenal fans, who chanted ‘We’re going to win the league’ during the away game after the final whistle. This ugly victory was a joyful victory for them.
