Ronald Koeman had the audacity to complain about Mike Dean’s performance following Liverpool’s 1-0 Merseyside Derby victory last night.
This is despite the fact Ross Barkley should have been given one straight red and two yellows and was instead booked just once.
The Englishman went in six inches high on Jordan Henderson’s ankle and it looked to all the world that our captain’s bone had been broken. Thankfully, he got up and carried on – a testament to his strength and courage more than anything, as it was similar to Ramiro Funes Mori scything down Divock Origi last term…
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But instead of apologising on behalf of his player, Koeman thought Dejan Lovren’s reaction to the challenge (in which he gently placed a hand on Seamus Coleman’s chest…) deserved a red – not Barkley’s attempted ankle breaker…
“It was a tough tackle, maybe it was a red – I don’t know,” shrugged the Dutchman after Barkley’s horror-tackle.
“But, what happened after was not a fair decision from the referee,” Koeman told the Independent. “Maybe it was a red card for Barkley. But there was a total reaction of several players, also [Seamus] Coleman – and by [Dejan] Lovren, who was already booked. The referee gave a yellow card to Coleman and not to Lovren, even though he started it. He [the referee] gave Coleman his first yellow card but not a second to Lovren. Why? I don’t know. Only a yellow to Coleman is not a fair decision out of the reaction for both teams.”
Koeman played football at the highest level and the fact he thinks Lovren staying on the field was a bigger crime than not sending off Barkley is insanity.
What Barkley did was very, very dangerous. What Lovren did was petty at worst. Saying this, Barkley should have been booked for a foul on Origi in the first-half, as well as kicking the ball away in the second.
All we can be grateful for here is that Henderson isn’t badly injured and that we won the game.