Dominik Szoboszlai and Andoni Iraola appear to have had contrasting takes on whether Liverpool need to become more ‘streetwise’ after the controversial defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
The main talking point from the game at Anfield was the failure of the officials to award the Reds a blatant penalty for a clear shirt pull by Jurrien Timber on Alexander Isak inside the box, just five minutes after Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the match.
The Basque admitted afterwards that he’d advise the Swedish striker to go to ground if the same thing were to happen to him in a subsequent fixture, with the 27-year-old staying on his feet despite the obvious infringement from the Dutch defender.
Iraola and Szoboszlai react to penalty controversy
Speaking to reporters as to whether his team might need to be more savvy in trying to influence referees when fouled, Iraola said (via Liverpool Echo): “It’s a shame you ask me this question, but honestly, yes we have to tell them [to] go down.
“They’re not going to call it otherwise, and then referees complain why they go down, because if you don’t go down, you don’t call it. Then it’s like: ‘No, you are all the time going down’.”
However, Szoboszlai argued that the Reds shouldn’t feel a compulsion to more readily indulge in gamesmanship, saying (via Liverpool Echo): “It’s a penalty. I don’t know what they expect from us, to dive or something? I don’t think we are the type of team or players to do that but from now on we might need to do it.”
The Hungarian added: “Should we be more streetwise? It is not our type of play. I don’t think in this moment you can think this way that, ‘Oh, let me wait for someone touching me and I’ll fall down’.”
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Elite-level sport is ruthless, but Szoboszlai makes a fair point
That there’s now a debate as to whether Liverpool need to become more streetwise and be prepared to use the ‘dark arts’ to their advantage is a sobering reflection on events at Anfield yesterday.
This is professional, elite sport at the highest level, with every match having the potential to earn or lose millions of pounds for every club, so it’s understandable that those involved will be ruthless in bending the situation to their will as much as possible.
However, we think Szoboszlai makes a fair point in saying that he and his teammates shouldn’t feel obligated to influence referees – ultimately, the onus is on officials at that level in the game to get the big decisions right, especially when they’re as obvious as Timber’s shirt pull on Isak.
Liverpool players aren’t totally averse to indulging in some gamesmanship, either, as Alexis Mac Allister showed yesterday with his theatrical fall after mild head contact from Noni Madueke. The Argentine was pilloried for his actions, and it isn’t the kind of behaviour that we want to see from any footballer.
Just like life in general, elite-level football often isn’t fair, as much as we’d all like it to be. It’s a cut-throat business where naivety is pounced upon, and in all likelihood the Reds would probably have had a penalty if Isak did go to ground after being pulled by Timber.
Ultimately, though, players shouldn’t feel a compulsion to do so; it’s up to the referees to penalise blatant rule-breaking.