Fabian Hürzeler calls for clearer set-piece rules ahead of clash with corner kings Arsenal

Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler has called for clearer Premier League regulations around set-pieces and time wasting ahead of his side’s meeting with corner masters Arsenal on Wednesday night.

Speaking before the meeting with the Gunners at the Amex Stadium, Hürzeler called out the lack of consistency in officiating, particularly when it comes to blocking at corners and delays over dead-ball situations.

The comments are directly aimed at their upcoming opponents, with Mikel Arteta’s side developing a reputation for not only scoring from set plays, but also for their questionable aggression and excessive time taken over them

The Gunners have scored a whopping 16 goals from corners this campaign, more than any other side has managed in a single Premier League season.

However, the lines between what is and isn’t considered a foul in the penalty area have become ever more blurred this season, with Chelsea the latest side to have felt aggrieved with some of Arsenal’s roughing in both boxes.

It was based on those actions seen in the 2-1 win for Arsenal that Hürzeler’s comments appeared to be focused on.

“Some of the blockings or the way teams are blocking, there is no clear rule,” Hürzeler said in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “Sometimes the referee whistles and it’s a foul, sometimes he doesn’t whistle.”

The Brighton boss believes the Premier League needs to establish firm, universal guidelines, especially regarding how long teams can take over restarts.

Far from the end-to-end football that the Premier League has become globally renowned for, this season has seen a very different image take over, with set pieces, long throws, and goal kicks seemingly becoming ceremonial processes.

“For me the main topic is make a clear rule for how much time you can waste for a corner, for a throw-in, for a free kick,” he explained.

Hürzeler pointed to situations where leading teams slow the game down at corners, referencing Arsenal as an example.

“No-one recognises it, but when Arsenal have a corner and they are leading, sometimes they spend over a minute just to take a corner,” he said.

“Therefore we just have to make clear rules, because then in the end we have a natural game time of 50 minutes instead of sometimes 65 minutes.”

‘Supporters deserve the same natural game time’

Hürzeler argued that inconsistent game flow is having a tangible impact on matches and, crucially, on supporters’ experience.

“The game is changing so much if you don’t have natural game time for all the games. We analyse it and the difference is just massive,” he continued.

“I am of the opinion that every supporter who pays a lot of money to watch our games should see the same natural game time. They want to see a football event, they don’t want to see maybe 50 minutes a game and for 40 minutes it’s not running.”

Despite his frustration, Hürzeler acknowledged that set-pieces remain a crucial tactical weapon and insisted Brighton must also maximise their own efficiency from dead balls.

“We won’t change these rules immediately, so we know how important set pieces are. I always mention they can be game changer, so we have to use it as well… and always try to defend them well.”