Arsenal and Aston Villa are notable clubs who have employed much of the dark arts of football this season to achieve desired results and one of these strategies is the time-wasting tactics.
Teams deploy several ploys and approaches to achieve desired results in a football game. Some of these football-centric strategies are honorable, while a handful are also quite dishonorable.
Interestingly, the Gunners and Aston Villa lead the list of the biggest time-wasters in the Premier League in the 2024/25 season.
Mikel Arteta’s side have made use of his approach on many occasions this season and many football enthusiasts have spotlighted it and called for change.
Based on data from British sports analytics company Opta, Arsenal, alongside Chelsea and Ipswich Town, amongst others, have employed time-wasting tactics in matches this season.
See Top 10 List Of Biggest Time Wasters In The Premier League In The 2024/25 Season
Let’s fill you in on the top 10 clubs that have disrupted the smooth flow of matches in the 2024/25 Premier League season and the games where this tactic was deployed.
Aston Villa sit at the summit of the list, having delayed the course of action in their 3-1 home win over Wolves on September 21, 2024, for an average of 47.3 seconds.
Arsenal come 2nd and 3rd on the log, having wasted precious time in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City and their 1-1 draw with Brighton on September 22 and August 31, 2024, respectively.
The Gunners delayed the flow of the game for an average of 42.7 seconds in their clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, while also delaying play in their battle with the Seagulls for 41.1 seconds.
In both games, they were a man down due to red cards handed to their players, and their primary method of time-wasting was through delaying goal-kicks.
Southampton occupy the 4th spot, with the Saints affecting the regular flow of action in their 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town on September 21, 2024, for 40.3 seconds.
Chelsea are also guilty of delaying play, as they clocked an average time of 38.8 seconds in their 6-2 smashing away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 25, 2024.
Just like Arsenal, Ipswich Town Are Also Culpable For Time-wasting
Ipswich Town also did so in their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on August 24, 2024, with Kieran McKenna’s side notching up an average delay time of 37.2 seconds.
Newcastle United started the 2024/25 season in this dishonorable manner by delaying play in their opening game of the campaign against Southampton for exactly 37 seconds.
The Magpies beat Southampton 1-0 at the St James’ Park, on August 17, 2024, and they also witnessed Fabian Schar being sent off in the affair.
Leicester City also deployed this tactic against Tottenham Hotspur in their 1-1 draw on August 19, 2024, delaying the course of action for an average time of 36.9 seconds.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (34.8 seconds), in their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on August 31, 2024, and Crystal Palace (34.4 seconds) in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on September 1, 2024, are the other teams that make up the top 10.
See Top 10 List Of Biggest Time Wasters In The Premier League In The 2024/25 Season
- (Aston Villa) vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, Average Delay Time: 47.3 seconds.
- (Arsenal) vs Manchester City, Average Delay Time: 42.7 seconds.
- (Arsenal) vs Brighton, Average Delay Time: 41.1 seconds
- (Southampton) vs Ipswich Town, Average Delay Time: 40.3 seconds.
- (Chelsea) vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, Average Delay Time: 38.8 seconds.
- (Ipswich Town) vs Manchester City, Average Delay Time: 37.2 seconds.
- (Newcastle United) vs Southampton, Average Delay Time: 37.0 seconds.
- (Leicester City) vs Tottenham Hotspur, Average Delay Time: 36.9 seconds.
- (Wolverhampton Wanderers) vs Nottingham Forest, Average Delay Time: 34.8 seconds
- (Crystal Palace) vs Chelsea, Average Delay Time: 34.4 seconds
The teams bracketed are the clubs culpable for deploying time-wasting tactics.
