According to the Times, as more and more Premier League teams use "grenade ball" tactics and complex set-piece tactics, the net game time of the Premier League this season has dropped to 54 minutes and 21 seconds, compared with 57 minutes and a drop of 2 minutes and 39 seconds last season. The article wrote that the Premier League has played 40 games this season, and has 130 "grenade balls" have appeared, averaging 3.3 times per game, while the figure was 1.5 times last season, and only 0.9 times in the 2020-21 season.
In addition, the set-piece tactics and coordination of Premier League teams are becoming more and more complicated, and the time it takes for goalkeepers to open the ball is getting longer and longer, which has led to a sharp decline in the Premier League net game time this season.
Because before throwing the "grenade ball", you need to wait for the defender to press the attack, and you also need to wipe the ball with a towel. The complex set-piece tactics require players to "whisper" to each other and the coach to "set up loudly", so it takes longer, which reduces the net game time.
In terms of using the "grenade ball" tactic this season, Bournemouth (14 times) and Brentford (14 times) tied for the Premier League, with Crystal Palace following closely behind with 13 times, while Chelsea, Fulham and Wolves all had only one time.
In order to curb the delay of time and increase net game time as much as possible, the Premier League has issued new regulations this season, requiring the goalkeeper to hold the ball for no more than 8 seconds when opening the goal, otherwise the referee has the right to award the opponent a corner kick.
As of now, the shortest net game time in the Premier League is Newcastle vs. Liverpool (45 minutes and 55 seconds). Arsenal, Sunderland and Leeds United have the longest average net game time, all of which exceed 56 minutes; Bournemouth has only 50 minutes and 52 seconds, which ranks at the bottom of the Premier League.