After Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler hit out at Arsenal's football, another former manager has stuck the boot into Mikel Arteta's side
12:46, 05 Mar 2026Updated 13:04, 05 Mar 2026
Mikel Arteta manager / head coach of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on March 01, 2026 in London, England
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Another manager who has coached in the Premier League has lashed out at Arsenal(Image: 2026 Catherine Ivill - AMA)
Former West Ham manager Alan Pardew has said Arsenal would have an "asterisk" over any Premier League title victory. Mikel Arteta's side secured a priceless 1-0 away victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
However, the three points came with accusations of time-wasting and gamesmanship from Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler. The German specifically earmarked goalkeeper David Raya for criticism, saying the Spaniard was running down the clock when he went down injured three times.
In response, Arteta simply said many teams in the division have had similar complaints towards his side, but they are not listening to it. With the Gunners now seven points clear of Manchester City, who have a game-in-hand, Pardew believes fans would not look at any title victory in good light, as a result of Arsenal's tactics.
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The former Hammers manager said to talkSPORT: "When I’m looking at them with my football manager’s head on, they’re so professional. They do every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line."
He then went on to add: "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."
Fabian Hurzeler has taken aim at Arsenal's tactics again following their 1-0 win over Brighton
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Fabian Hurzeler took aim at Arsenal's tactics again following their 1-0 win over Brighton(Image: (Photo by James Marsh/Shutterstock))
Arsenal overcame Brighton through Bukayo Saka's early goal. The home side had their chances against the North Londoners, but they could not find the back of the net.
They were also left frustrated by what they felt was gamesmanship on the Gunners' part. As well as Raya frequently needing treatment, Brighton defender Joel Veltman was also seen dragging Saka back to his feet, after feeling the Englishman was trying to waste time.
After the match, a furious Hurzeler said: "There was only one team that tried to play football today. I ask one question - do you ever see in a Premier League game the goalkeeper going down three times? We should focus on our performance, we cannot control these types of things. I made my point before the game.
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"We shouldn't concentrate on these things... let's talk about us. The Premier League needs to look at rules. There were so many [periods of time wasting]."
When asked about the German's comments, Arteta simply replied: "What a surprise. You can just go back to the previous games and you will find a lot of comments.
"I love my players. That's the highlight. I love my players, we love our players, and I love the way that we compete."
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