Andoni Iraola says that he will tell his players to go down in future after Liverpool were denied a penalty in Sunday’s defeat by Arsenal.
Liverpool fell 1-0 after Kai Havertz opened the scoring, and Alexander Isak’s shirt was tugged by Jurrien Timber while he attempted a header from Bradley Barcola’s cross in the first half.
Nevertheless, Isak remained upright, and referee Andy Madley did not award a penalty.
VAR official Stuart Attwell judged that the tug was insufficient to warrant a penalty review, a view that Iraola contested.
“There is a clear grab of the shirt,” Iraola told Match of the Day. “Alex [Isak] was positioned in front of him; the shirt pull prevented him from heading toward goal.”
“If he goes to the floor, a penalty would surely be awarded. Managers should instruct Alex to fall, otherwise the call will not be made.”
Iraola added that the solution moving forward is for players to dive, as officials will not award a penalty unless they do.
Isak turned to speak with Timber after the incident but chose not to appeal to the referee while remaining on his feet.
Iraola told Sky Sports that, in future, managers ought to instruct their players to go to the floor.
When asked whether he would tell Isak to do the same, he replied, “Yes, definitely.”
He explained at his news conference, in response to a BBC Sport query, that he would need to advise his players to be more astute moving forward.
“It’s a shame you ask me this question, but honestly, we must tell them to go down, because otherwise the penalty will not be given. Referees then complain about players going down, yet if they don’t go down, no penalty is awarded. It becomes a cycle of players continually falling,” Iraola said.
“I believe Alex is honest; he goes for the ball, and it is evident in live action that there is a clear pull.”
The view is that the contact was minimal—a light tug on the shirt rather than sustained holding—so the play was allowed to continue.
Iraola conceded at his news conference that an apology from Pro Ref, the Premier League’s refereeing body, would not change anything regarding the incident.
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport, “Timber takes a significant risk by grabbing the shirt; it could easily have been penalised on another occasion.”
“It’s right on the limit. Sustained holding is required, though opinions differ on whether it occurred. It’s notable that Isak did not appeal.”
Liverpool also had another penalty appeal dismissed when Cody Gakpo went down in the box under pressure from Christos Tzolis.
