All the big Fantasy Premier League talking points and team news before gameweek 29
This week's deadline is 18:00 BST on Tuesday - not long to go!
Send your questions in for FPL expert Gianni Buttice - click Get Involved on this page
Gianni is an FPL expert and best-selling author of the book: "Fantasy Premier League: Unlocking the Secrets to a Top 1% Finish"
He's only finished outside the top 100k three times in the past 14 seasons and has eight top-50k finishes
Who to captain this week? Will Arsenal's defence be on top at Brighton? Do you take a chance on Haaland?
Team news: Rice 'much better' | Haaland to be assessed | Woltemade doubtful to face Man Utd | Ayari | Maguire & Shaw | Villa latest
Well Callum, in terms of the average time the ball is in play, which Fabian Hurzeler touched upon, then Arsenal are by no means the worst culprits, you are correct.
According to Opta, the average time the ball has been in play in Arsenal's 29 Premier League matches this season has been 56 mins 3 secs.
That's 55.7% of their total game time, which ranks them seventh in the whole Premier League...
Image source, OptaClick 'Get Involved' to have your say
I honestly don't understand where the notion that Arsenal are somehow big time wasters has come from? Every team in a winning position manages the clock. If Arsenal do take longer over set pieces (which I'm not convinced they do), it's to ensure accurate delivery, not waste time.
Callum
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Yasin Ayari is "an option" for Brighton against Arsenal, says manager Fabian Hurzeler.
The 22-year-old Sweden midfielder has missed Brighton's last five matches with a shoulder injury picked up in their 1-1 draw with Everton at the end of January.
“He [Ayari] trained yesterday, so hopefully he reacts fine to the first training session and then we have another one today and I'm quite confident that he will be an option for tomorrow,” said Hurzeler, as he aims to dent the Gunners' title hopes at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday by claiming a first win for the Seagulls against the Premier League leaders since May 2023.
The Brighton boss added that he had "nothing big" to update on team news: "Some small issues, so we have to test the players today and get a feeling who is 100% fit for tomorrow but no new injury concerns."
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Few years back everyone used to say for Arsenal 'what is the point of beautiful football if you can't win trophies?'. Now they are saying 'you can't win with this kind of football'. It's just rivals trying to imbalance Arsenal, and I don't care a bit. Go on Gunners.
Vijit, Maidenhead
Some managers want to moan about all and sundry when their team are not winning. Arsenal are joint top scorers in the league with 50 plus goals and only 16 are from corners. Referees need to get a consistent grip of scuffles in penalty areas. COYG.
Mick, South East area
Fabien Hurzler has short memory, how about the teams who come to Arsenal and waste time, taking goal kicks and change players who take throw-ins? That is acceptable but corner kicks of Arsenal are not? All teams cheat, it's not Arsenal only.
Danny, London
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler on whether they can use the pressure Arsenal are under to their own advantage as the Seagulls aim for a third consecutive win in the Premier League: "I don't think that they will get nervous or anything because they are all top professionals and have world-class players. They definitely have the best squad in the league, so overall it is more to have the belief in our quality.
"We know what we are capable of doing against big and top teams, we have proved it this season. We had two very good performances [in our last two games] away at Brentford and at home to Nottingham Forest, now we are also ready for this challenge.
"We know that it will definitely be a big challenge against the best team in the league but we have also big belief in our quality. We know what is our strengths, we know that we definitely need to have respect for Arsenal but we also go with big confidence into our stadium and try to win this game."
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesMore goals are being scored from corner kicks this Premier League season, but the amount of pushing and pulling has at times also verged on the farcical.
Defenders are grappling with attackers, and attackers are tussling with defenders.
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport that "something needs to be done".
"At many corner kick situations, there are often as many as 16 players packed into the six-yard box," Cann said.
"This, frankly, is becoming a nightmare for the referee team to police. We must find a solution to this epidemic."
Are referees, players or coaches responsible for fixing behaviour? Or is it going to take a change in the law?
Grappling has dominated the news conferences of managers over the last week. And the frustration appears to be on the rise.
"Blocking has become a big part of it," David Moyes said.
"Let's be fair, the best at it - but with style - would be Arsenal," he said, adding the Gunners have been the trailblazers for these "dark arts".
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It's acceptable for teams to take a minute over corners & throws but a goalkeeper will get a yellow card for taking a second too long to take a goal kick. Huge reason why most PL games are a chore to watch these days.
David, London
27% of goals from set-pieces, if you did away with the dreadful pin-point accuracy of VAR offsides you'd get alot more open play goals. Once upon a time, strikers were given advantage for the sake of exciting football. Trust the refs again!
Jamie, Bedford
Just officiate properly then all these issues would disappear! Referees can dictate, but Don't always enforce how long a player should take for all set pieces. Corners? Grabbing, pulling, or pushing an opponent with the arms is always a foul. Simple!
Leon, Carlisle
Premier League
During the 2025-26 Premier League season, a total of 783 goals have been scored with 215 (27.5%) of those coming from non-penalty set-piece situations.
It's the second highest percentage in Premier League history, with the 2009-10 campaign featuring 28.5% of goals from set-pieces.
Also, there have now been more goals scored from corners in the Premier League this season (138 in 281 games) than in the whole of the previous campaign (135 in 380 games).
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Image source, Getty ImagesMore from Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler on how he prepares his team to face Arsenal's set-pieces: "I think it's not about putting more time into it [on the training ground]. Overall, it is the same as in open play - stick to your principles. We have a way to defend corners, we have a way to defend throw-ins, we have a way to defend free-kicks. It is very important that you stick to that and you keep working on your principles, but you can always improve these kinds of principles.
"If you always jump from one thing to another thing then the players always have to adapt and they never get this deep thinking of our principles.
"It is definitely a big strength from Arsenal, they do it in an impressive way this season. They have a lot of good takers, they have a lot of physicality, so it is definitely something we have to take care of, but we will stick to our principles...we will have big belief in our set-up and our players and we are convinced that we can defend it."
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Hurzeler is spot on and Arsenal are the worst. Corners and throw ins are taking an age now and we the paying public are the ones taking the brunt as that time is never adequately added on. Man City at Liverpool took an age over each goal kick.
Alan, West Sussex
For years we’ve been saying that teams break the game down to waste time. Now Arsenal are doing it, it’s finally being looked at by everyone. All we’ve done is adapted to something nobody cared about until now. Sure, change it.. next season.
Denis, Leighton
Time wasted on long throws should be debated too. Why do referees seem to allow more time for set piece attacking long throws than is tolerated in other areas of the pitch. Speeding up corners and throws will reduce the scope for players grappling with each other.
Peter, Bromley
Maybe go with the ball having to be back in play within "X" seconds of leaving the pitch? Multi-ball should make that simple. I don't blame teams for it, Arsenal are doing what it takes to win. Doesn't make for a fun watch though
Jon, Brighton
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Image source, Getty ImagesClick 'Get Involved' to have your say
I think it's unfair to focus too much on "oh Arsenal are set-piece merchants". They've not actually scored that many more than others. I do however, think that both the time people take on corners and the antics in the box need addressing. These "dark-arts" are the problem, nothing else.
Harry, Manchester
As a United fan im sick of this talk about corners. We’re ment to be the best league in the world with the best managers. If you can’t find a solution to stop them it’s your problem don’t complain to the media get back on the training field!
Alec, Wales
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Despite his criticism of the way Arsenal 'waste' time at set-pieces, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says his side need to learn from the Gunners and improve the way they defend and attack set-pieces.
“That's how I see it [match officials need to clamp down on time wasting at set-pieces], but I think we won't change these rules immediately, so we know how important set pieces are... that they can be a game changer, so we have to use it as well.
"We have to be very efficient in scoring goals, we have to be more efficient in creating chances from corners and free-kicks and always try to defend them well because at the moment it is a big trend in the league and we definitely need to adapt and to adjust to it.”
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
More from Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler on time-wasting before set-pieces in the Premier League: "Therefore, I think we have to make clear rules because in the end we have a net game time of 50 minutes instead of sometimes 65 minutes, so the game is changing so much.
"If you don't have a [similar] net game time for all games. We analysed it and the difference is just massive.
"I have the opinion that every supporter who pays a lot of money to go to the stadiums and watch our games should see the same net game time because they pay a lot of money.
“They want to see a football event and they don't want to see maybe 50 minutes the ball is in the game and 40 minutes the game is not running."
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Image source, Getty ImagesBrighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, preparing his side to take on Arsenal at Amex Stadium on Wednesday, was asked why there was so much negativity around Arsenal's tactics at set pieces.
He said many people don't like the emphasis on set-pieces because it disturbs the rhythm of matches, and he added: “For me the main topic is to make a clear rule how much time you can waste for a corner, for a throw-in, for a free-kick because I think no-one recognises it, but when Arsenal has a corner and they are leading, sometimes they spend over one minute just to take a corner."
Brighton v Arsenal (Wed, 19:30 GMT)
Image source, Getty ImagesSpeaking at his news conference this morning, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has questioned the amount of time Premier League leaders Arsenal take before set-pieces.
“Sometimes [Arsenal] spend one minute to take a corner if they are leading," said Hurzeler before his side faces Mikel Arteta's side on Wednesday.
Hurzeler also called for stricter rules to avoid time-wasting during dead-ball situations.
We will bring the full quotes from the Brighton boss shortly.
Slot is not a fan of watching set-pieces...
Yesterday, Liverpool manager Arne Slot weighed in on the emphasis on set-pieces this season saying that his "football heart doesn't like it" and that most Premier League games are no longer a "joy to watch."
27.5% of goals scored in the league have been non-penalty set-piece goals - the second-highest rate since 2009-10 - while Arsenal's prowess from set-pieces has been a key part of their title challenge.
"Do I like it? My football heart doesn't like it," Slot said.
"If you ask me about football, I think about the Barcelona team from 10, 15 years ago. Every Sunday evening you were hoping they would play.
"Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch but it's always interesting because it's so competitive."
Liam Rosenior, whose Chelsea side were beaten by Arsenal on Sunday with two set-piece goals, said "there needs to be a review" on how set-pieces can be defended while Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola wanted "more protection for goalkeepers" during dead-ball situations.
On Sunday, former England striker Chris Sutton had told BBC Radio 5 Live that the Gunners could "be the ugliest Premier League-winning team in history."
But asked about his side's 'ugly' win in his post-match news conference, Mikel Arteta said: "It's not ugly...for me it's a beautiful game to play because there is so much quality and you have to adapt so much to what they do."
And the debate over the set‑piece obsession rumbles on, with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler the latest to join in!
Newcastle v Manchester United (Wed, 20:15 GMT)
Image source, Getty ImagesNewcastle United boss Eddie Howe was asked whether he stands by the premise of 'living or dying by recruitment', to which he replied: "Yeah, definitely - recruitment is everything. If you get it wrong, it's very difficult to have the success you want. You do have to take a longer-term view on it though, otherwise a shorter-term view can see you make assumptions that could be wrong.
"I can say that, since I've been here, our recruitment has been excellent. I'm not sure another club would have the success we've had with our signings, percentage-wise.
"Of course there's question marks and opinions on our summer business, but a case-in-point is Jacob Ramsey. Sometimes players need time to prove their worth and settle into what we ask them to do."
Newcastle v Manchester United (Wed 20:15 GMT)
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe on the criticism Nick Woltemade received on social media after his latest performance: "That's news to me. I will have discussions with players about social media, not necessarily about what the narrative is but there are people in the club that do have their eyes across that.
"For me, it's not a world that I can go into because if I do read it and absorb it then my opinions will be swayed by nonsense. I prefer to keep my opinions based off my own eyes.
"Nick [Woltemade] is doing well. I would never overreact, negatively or positively, just because of an individual performance from a player. It is all about the longer-term for me and making sure that they're continuing to improve. Of course he has stuff to work on, and we're doing that, but I'm happy with him."
Newcastle v Manchester United (Wed, 20:15 GMT)
Image source, Getty ImagesNewcastle United boss Eddie Howe on his team being able to rise to certain occasions but faltering at other times: "The psychology of sport and human beings is a difficult one. We have struggled in that respect in recent games, even when we've had the ability to raise our game. We don't want that to be the outcome, we want to be consistent and at our best in every game.
"So it's a frustration for all of us. We're trying to find solutions to every problem we have, but this one is a bit of a headscratcher for us."
On what emotion best describes their struggle for Premier League form this season: "It's one of frustration really. When I look back at the games where we haven't executed what we want or we have performed uncharacteristically, there's huge frustration.
"We feel we've made progress this season but then we take a step back from a point where we've just moved forward. It has been a mental challenge for all of us."
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 58 | 22 | 36 | 64 |
| |
| 28 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 57 | 25 | 32 | 59 |
| |
| 28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 50 | 38 | 12 | 51 |
| |
| 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 51 |
| |
| 29 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 48 | 39 | 9 | 48 |
| |
| 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 49 | 33 | 16 | 45 |
| |
| 29 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 44 | 40 | 4 | 44 |
| |
| 29 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 33 | 1 | 43 |
| |
| 29 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 44 | 46 | -2 | 40 |
| |
| 28 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 40 | 42 | -2 | 40 |
| |
| 29 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 40 |
| |
| 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 38 | 35 | 3 | 37 |
| |
| 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 40 | 42 | -2 | 36 |
| |
| 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 35 |
| |
| 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 31 |
| |
| 28 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 38 | 43 | -5 | 29 |
| |
| 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 26 | 41 | -15 | 27 |
| |
| 28 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 34 | 54 | -20 | 25 |
| |
| 29 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 19 |
| |
| 30 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 52 | -30 | 16 |
|
