Why Arsene Wenger may be disappointed with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal after 2-2 draw against Manchester City

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Arsenal almost delivered a masterclass in how to nullify a world class opponent with just ten men at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta was handed the daunting task of shutting Manchester City out for over 45 minutes after Leandro Trossard was sent off just before the interval, but came within seconds of doing so before John Stones made it 2-2 in the 98th minute.

However – while many have praised Arsenal for their stubbornness against the champions – Arsene Wenger was surely upset by what he saw from Mikel Arteta on Sunday…

Why Mikel Arteta might have upset Arsene Wenger

It was obvious for all to see that Arteta had instructed Arsenal to waste time after losing Trossard, and there is one specific reason why these time wasting antics would have annoyed Wenger.

The Frenchman is currently working hard to eradicate time wasting in his role as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, telling the Independent in 2023: “For the equity of the game, we want the team who wants to play to be rewarded. For the respect of the fan who sits in the stand, the teams to play, to encourage the teams not to waste time.”

Therefore, Wenger was surely disappointed in Arteta on Sunday, as there were several clear examples of Arsenal trying to run down the clock.

Arguably the most obvious instance was when Gabriel Martinelli complained of cramp and sat down, only to get up and chase Michael Oliver after the 39-year-old saw through his attempted gamesmanship and played on.

David Raya also consistently sat down to receive treatment, with Arteta seen to be holding several team talks during these intervals.

Ultimately, it came back to haunt Arsenal, as the Gunners conceded in added time of added time, due to Oliver taking into account the many seconds lost through time wasting.

Arsenal fans will not care one bit

While Wenger might be upset, these dark arts are simply part of the game.

Trawl back through the archives, and you will be hard pushed to find a Premier League title Manchester United won under Sir Alex Ferguson which did not involve some form of gamesmanship.

If spoiling the game and frustrating opponents with the dark arts ends up with Arsenal securing a Premier League title, we highly doubt fans or Arteta will care about Wenger’s attempts to sweep time wasting out of football.