Ty Bracey exclusive: Strange that Aston Villa are being singled out for time-wasting criticism
We’re delighted to welcome Villa View host Ty Bracey as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Ty Bracey doesn’t understand why Aston Villa appear to be emerging as a specific target for complaints about time-wasting in the Premier League.
After the Villans’ victory over Brighton on 13 November Seagulls coach Roberto De Zerbi claimed he “did not see fair play” to BBC Sport when asked about the subject following his side’s 2-1 defeat.
And Leeds boss Jesse Marsch also had big complaints after the goalless draw on 2 October [Sky Sports], but Bracey doesn’t think Villa are doing anything that isn’t seen in virtually every game played throughout the season.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News he said: “It’s not uncommon across football as a whole, people dragging time out, it’s not just Villa it’s teams in the league.
“It’s one of those things. We changed the shape [against Brighton], we reacted based on how they were playing and what they were doing and we were successful in holding our lead.
“We were unfortunate to go one down, so when we were in the lead it was important that we held it and we did what we had to to get there.
“It is odd that it’s targeted towards Villa because I think that happens across football everywhere. There’s been scenarios where we’re chasing a goal.
“It is a time-wasting thing, but it’s also killing momentum on a build up.
“A team likes to slow the play down especially if you’ve got another team coming at you chasing a goal, so it’s just football isn’t it?”
With the huge increases in added on time at the World Cup in Qatar which Pierluigi Collina has been pushing for, it seems that active time in play has now come to a head this season after getting increasing coverage.
There are clearly arguments from a fan satisfaction point of view, and if the new directive in internationals is carried over into domestic leagues it is sure to improve things for those watching in the stands or on TV.
But given that you would be hard pressed to find a team in the world that doesn’t slow the game down when it suits them it is probably unjust that Villa are getting the spotlight shone on them over others.
The biggest teams are often lauded for the professionalism if they control the clock or the officials, while teams who are down on their luck are derided for trying to do the same things, so perhaps with the change in fortunes since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard the Lions will move from one group to the other.
In other Aston Villa news, Philippe Coutinho’s future at the club has been called into question.