London (dpa)
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has confirmed that some time is needed to get used to the new regulations of the English Premier League. Arsenal beat its host Crystal Palace, with Odegaard’s goal from a penalty kick in the second half, but the team completed the match with ten players, after its Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was sent off, for receiving two warnings within seven minutes, as he received the first warning for wasting time, before receiving Second booking for a foul against Jordan Ayew.
The English Premier League approved new regulations this season, including strict measures against wasting time, but Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta believes that there is a need to use a stopwatch to prevent inconsistencies in the decisions of the referees.
“I don’t know if it’s difficult, but it’s new regulations, and we have to get used to it,” Odegaard said.
He added, “The first yellow card was harsh. I don’t think Tomiasso was trying to waste a lot of time. He didn’t have any player to pass him the ball. It’s a bit tricky, but we have to get used to it. This is a reality. We can’t do anything else.” .
“It has become easier to get warnings, so we have to be careful, and this applies to me as well,” he noted.
Odegaard concluded by saying, “This is something we should keep in our minds, but I don’t think we should think a lot about the regulations, we have to focus on the match.”
#Odegaard #Timewasting #regulations #time