LONDON, England (AFP) — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes throw-ins should be replaced by ‘kick-ins’ in a bid to make the game flow more smoothly.

Wenger is unimpressed with the way teams like Stoke have adopted the long throw as a way to put opponents under aerial pressure.

The Frenchman saw his side destroyed by two Rory Delap long-throws that led to goals in their 2-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium last season.

Now Wenger has suggested that the rules should be changed so that players can use their feet to put the ball back in play rather than throwing it in because it would encourage shorter passes.

He told Arsenal’s website: “The rule I would change would be maybe to play throw-ins by foot. Why not? I think it would make the game quicker.”

Wenger believes the advantage gained by teams possessing long-throw specialists is unfair.

“For example at Stoke, for Rory Delap it is like kicking the ball,” he added.

“It is a little bit of an unfair advantage. He is using a strength that is usually not a strength in football.

“Football is the most popular team game in the world and one day some crazy guy said ‘we don’t use the hands’.

“How could you have imagined on that day a game that is completely natural to play with your hands would become the most popular sport?”