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      Troy Deeney: It’s time for VAR to be scrapped, the best moment of my career never would have happened if it existed

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      I’VE reached the end of my tether with VAR and I’d love to see it scrapped.I think most players and the vast majority of match-going fans would say the same.
      Troy Deeney netted this momentous but controversial goal for Watford vs Leicester in the 2013 Championship semi-final play-offsCredit: PA:Press Association
      Deeney believes this ‘absolute, glorious carnage’ following his famous strike would have been curtailed by VAR as it came after a ref errorCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Tottenham’s Eric Dier had a goal rightly disallowed in a controversial 4-1 loss vs Chelsea but the VAR check took ridiculously longCredit: Getty
      It’s as if Premier League chiefs have said, ‘We’ve got this wonderful product, which is lapped up the world over and is an excellent fan experience to enjoy live, so how are we going to f*** it all up?’
      Football, at its best, is pure chaos. If I think back to probably the most memorable moment of my career — the climax of the Championship play-off semi-final between Watford and Leicester in 2013 — it all came about because of a refereeing error.
      Anthony Knockaert of Leicester dived to win a penalty, his spot-kick was saved by our keeper Manuel Almunia, and we went straight down the other end where I scored the goal which sent us to Wembley.
      Vicarage Road erupted in euphoria. It was absolute, glorious carnage. And nobody who was there will ever forget it.
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      But that sequence of events probably wouldn’t have happened now.
      Knockaert’s tumble would have been analysed to death for five minutes and the penalty probably wouldn’t have been given.
      With VAR, we are attempting to provide this perfect sanitised game and that isn’t what football is about.
      Take Monday night’s game between Tottenham and Chelsea, with nine VAR checks, most of them far longer than necessary, with both players and supporters standing around not having a clue what was going on, and then 20-odd minutes of injury-time.
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      This is NOT the game I fell in love with.
      When Spurs player Eric Dier had a goal disallowed in the second half, he was clearly offside, but it took VAR several minutes to reach that decision.
      It’s like if I go into a coffee shop and the bloke in front of me is ordering a choco mocha latte, or whatever those fancy coffees are called, and so we all have to wait five minutes.
      But after all that hanging around for the barista to act like Tom Cruise, it just tastes like a normal cup of coffee.
      Sometimes there’s no point in waiting around for a ridiculous amount of time.
      I played in the Premier League during the first season of VAR in 2019-20 and I actually didn’t mind it.
      But since then I have witnessed a huge drop in refereeing standards.
      Refs have lost the courage to make decisions, they no longer trust their instincts, and they have lost authority as a result.
      Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta raged as a triple VAR check, including for this challenge by Joelinton on Gabriel, failed to erase Anthony Gordon’s Toon winnerCredit: Getty
      David Luiz was a brilliant defender but could dive in or dangle a legCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      They see a 50-50 call and rely on VAR to get them out of a hole — but often the VAR decision is worse than a spontaneous on-field call.
      Of course I would moan at refs when I played in the top-flight but I genuinely believed we had a high standard of officiating before VAR.
      The likes of Martin Atkinson, Mark Clattenburg and Michael Oliver — who was actually the ref conned by Knockaert at Vicarage Road — were generally excellent. Those standards have dropped, largely because of the effect of VAR.
      And let’s talk about the idea of ‘winning’ a penalty, of inviting contact and going down, which I’d describe as professionalism rather than cheating.
      VAR was supposed to make that far more difficult but I’d say it’s actually made it easier.
      There were certain opponents — and as an example I’d use David Luiz of Chelsea, Arsenal and Brazil —  who you knew you had a chance of winning a penalty against.
      Luiz was a brilliant footballer but he would also have a tendency to dive in to tackles or to dangle a leg if you were running past him, so you’d try to take advantage of that and invite referees to make a decision.
      Everywhere you look, VAR is leading to less respect for refs, worse decision-making and a worse experience for fans.
      With the super slo-mo they use in VAR decisions today, a defender’s challenge often looks worse than it actually is, so you are probably more likely to win a penalty.
      So many decisions are subjective, so you are never going to get perfection in decision-making.
      I did sympathise with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta losing his rag following Newcastle’s winning goal last weekend — there were three or four reasons why it could have been ruled out but none of them were conclusive.
      So he had a rant in the heat of the moment out of pure frustration.
      Arteta described refereeing standards as ‘embarrassing’ but what was more embarrassing to me was Arsenal issuing a statement the following day backing up his complaint.
      That sort of thing just lessens the authority of referees even more.
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      Everywhere you look, VAR is leading to less respect for refs, worse decision-making and a worse experience for fans inside Premier League stadiums.
      I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, because it would be seen as a backwards step, but I’d rather see it scrapped so that we can all embrace the chaos again. More

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      ‘You need to appease clubs’ – Scots Fifa referee who moved to England stunned whistlers turn ‘blind eye’ to simulation

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      BOBBY MADDEN has lifted the lid on the power English clubs hold over referees.The former Fifa whistler retired in the summer after a season taking charge of games down south.
      Bobby Madden quit the game in Scotland to go and further his career in EnglandCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      Madden had achieved all he’d set out to as an official in Scotland and wanted a fresh challenge in EFL League One.
      But he hung up his whistle for several reasons, including being stunned at how the observer marking system is weighted in the clubs’ favour.
      Madden, 45, said: “There were challenges and a different mentality in how they manage situations from an FA and PGMOL point of view.
      “The clubs pay them, so they have control over officials.

      “One of the frustrations which didn’t affect me directly is the clubs have 40 per cent of the mark that’s given to a referee.
      “Essentially you need to appease the clubs to get on, so anyone going into that system needs to referee with that in mind.
      “It’s difficult when you’ve refereed to a level with an observer system then you have a club system like that. It’s difficult for the referees.
      “There were good referees in League One and Two, but would they turn a blind eye to obvious simulation or clear dissent or foul or abusive language? I saw it happen.
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      “I think that’s one of the challenges they have.
      “Each club has 20 per cent of their mark.
      “In Scotland it’s one observer and you receive one mark and it’s the same with Uefa.
      “In England the assessor only has 20 per cent. They also go to a panel and review it, so it was a new system.
      “The clubs and players and managers know they are marking you.
      “I’ve heard comments like, ‘Just remember who’s marking you’. The clubs know they have that power.
      “It’s a challenging environment for referees coming through.
      “I didn’t change my tactics, though. I just managed games the way I always have.
      “I was probably known for not showing that many yellow cards and I tried to follow that, but it’s probably a more difficult arena to do that in.”
      Madden was also disappointed by the quality of the game down south, despite its bold claims, and the lack of respect shown by players towards officials compared to Scotland.
      He said: “In England the football and the teams are very well organised. The surfaces and facilities are good.
      “But I was disappointed with the football.
      “League One there compares to the bottom three or four in our Premiership and League Two compares to the Championship.
      “But England are very good at marketing their leagues, so people believe it’s high level.
      “Of course it’s very well organised, but the level of football probably wasn’t what I expected.
      “I was still fortunate to referee some decent games in League One.
      “In Scotland teams play against each other four times a season or whatever, so there’s a lot of repetition and it’s the same with referees.
      “You’ll referee each team five or six times a year. Take that over ten years and you are in a lot of contact with the same people so you build up a relationship.
      “They might not agree with your decisions and players will use foul language and I’ll use the same type back.
      “In England that level of respect isn’t there because of their approach, but it was maybe because I was a new face that they didn’t know.
      “They’re also in that arena where they’re very well paid, they have a fantastic environment and there’s maybe a degree of entitlement.
      “I did find a lot of players difficult to deal with and they didn’t like to be challenged.
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      “In Scotland I liked the banter and to give a bit back and have that relationship.”
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      Karren Brady: VAR has been bad enough, but the government’s new do-gooder regulator will really hamper elite football

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      FOOTBALL is falling foul of so much over-regulation it reminds you of the old workers’ axiom, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.As if VAR hasn’t been controversial enough, the imminent government-appointed football regulator looks set to be another busybody do-gooder that will end up hampering the sport at its highest level.
      King Charles announced plans for a new football regulatorCredit: AP
      VAR has angered fans, players, managers and pundits alikeCredit: PA
      Let’s start with VAR, the sport’s unpredictable instrument of judgment.
      Mikel Arteta’s outburst last week was aimed at the VAR operators who agreed with the referee that Anthony Gordon’s winning goal for Arsenal after an aerial scramble should stand.
      Even though the human microscopes in the VAR hub eventually voted against Arsenal, the length of the delay was an indication of doubt rather than certainty.
      Which says two things to me. First, in many cases, intent is near-impossible to ascertain.
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      Second, VAR operators are regularly asking for an interruption themselves rather than accepting that the ref’s decision should be final.
      Little wonder VAR is now so disliked.
      It is also impersonal — based somewhere in West London — while fans, players, managers, and TV pundits all know their equipment is fairly basic… a generation or two short of AI.
      Two-dimensional TV is Putin-esque — sometimes we can’t believe what we think we see.
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      Because of this, no verdict can ever be relied on as unimpeachable.
      Whatever the angry Arteta thought last Saturday at St James’ Park, had the decisions gone the other way Newcastle manager Eddie Howe would have complained — albeit not so noisily.
      Simply, it was impossible in the few minutes available for VAR to undo the tangle of limbs that made up the full incident.
      The truth is that ref Stuart Attwell had a better view of the incident than a whole crew of spotters checking angles on flat screens.
      Overall it was the half-blind with pictures half-leading the half-blind with a whistle. Yes, half-equipped.
      This technical interference didn’t impress Wolves who have claimed at least four incorrect referee-VAR decisions so far this season — two of them so poor that the refs were dropped to the Championship for a match.
      Wolves manager Gary O’Neil calculates those errors have cost his team SIX points.
      I’m sure the decision to have a regulator will end up as one we regret.Karren Brady
      A more excitable man would have reacted with some colourful vocabulary.
      Ange Postecoglou, too, is measured in his post-match assessments.
      Many people will wonder whether his Spurs team’s 4-1 home defeat by Chelsea was a sign of things to come with NINE incidents having been checked by VAR.
      Postecoglou said: “That utopia where there are no wrong decisions in the game will never exist. It’s our own fault as we complain about decisions every week.”
      Just as referees’ authority is being undermined, the introduction of a football regulator begs the question as to what has happened to the alleged authority of the FA?
      Football’s governing body is being stripped to lesser duties by our politicians and we know what happens when ministers appoint an overseer-cum-bureaucrat-cum-pal to such responsibility.
      The power, success and wealth of the Premier League is envied by our lesser leagues and — more to the point — around the world.
      Stuart Attwell was the referee for Newcastle’s controversial win over ArsenalCredit: Getty
      Gary O’Neil and Wolves have been screwed over by major refereeing clangersCredit: AFP
      While it is right that we should spread some of our money to the EFL and deeper, the Prem is a success story.
      The big question for the EFL is a pretty straightforward one.
      If the regulator — as read out by the King last week — is said to “safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans” why are there no restrictions on what the EFL clubs can do with the money that flows down to ensure it benefits communities and fans?
      The implication of the need for a regulator is that football and the FA are in a mess, when in fact the opposite is true.
      They say, no pain is unbearable — except that of regret.
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      I’m sure the decision to have a regulator will end up as one we regret.
      It is such a short word and yet it stretches forever. More

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      EFL confirm Anthony Taylor made WRONG decision after being demoted… but he’ll still referee Chelsea vs Man City

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      REFEREE Anthony Taylor was wrong to award Preston North End a penalty against Coventry City after being dropped down to Championship games, the EFL confirms.After being demoted from top-flight English football for a mistake in Newcastle’s game with Wolves, Taylor is set to return for the Chelsea v Manchester City game on Sunday.
      EFL confirm Anthony Taylor made the wrong decision in the Coventry City vs Preston North End clashCredit: AFP
      Despite making the wrong call Taylor is set to referee Chelsea vs Manchester City on SundayCredit: Getty
      However, it has now emerged that Taylor made a mistake when he refereed Preston North End’s 3-2 win over Coventry City on Saturday.
      This was the first time in four years he had officiated in the second tier and was involved in a controversial spot-kick decision.
      The 45-year-old ruled that Kyle McFadzean had brought down Milutin Osmajic in the area, but replays showed the Sky Blues captain had made little contact.
      After reviewing the officials’ decisions, the EFL has announced that the penalty should not have been given.
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      Coventry boss Mark Robins spoke on the injustice they faced against Preston.
      Robins said: “Now once or twice we have had decisions that have gone against us and again, we had one go against us with the penalty at Preston.
      “We have had confirmation that it wasn’t a penalty but there’s still a bit of ambiguity around that.
      “So we need to do a little bit more digging on that to get clarity on the decision they have made.”
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      And fans even deemed Taylor should be “demoted to League 1 next weekend” after his dismal performance.
      Taylor was forced to referee Championship football last weekend after giving Newcastle a controversial penalty in their 2-2 draw with Wolves.
      The English official deemed Hwang Hee-chan to have fouled Fabian Schar but replays of the incident showed minimal contact.
      But it has been announced he will make his comeback to the Premier League this weekend as Chelsea, who sit tenth in the league, host leaders City. More

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      Liverpool ace Darwin Nunez angrily PIES referee and Toulouse goalscorer after being left fuming at disallowed equaliser

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      LIVERPOOL star Darwin Nunez angrily pied both the referee and a Toulouse goalscorer.That’s after being left fuming at his side’s disallowed equaliser in the Europa League last night.
      Darwin Nunez pied both the ref and a Toulouse goalscorer after Liverpool’s 3-2 defeatCredit: Rex
      Nunez refused to shake hands after Liverpool had a late equaliser disallowedCredit: https://twitter.com/footballontnt

      Nunez was a sub as Liverpool suffered a 3-2 group stage defeat in France on Thursday.
      Liverpool were 2-0 down before pulling one back through an own goal with 15 minutes left.
      Toulouse made it 3-1 just moments later before Diogo Jota gave his side a glimmer of hope with a goal in the 89th minute.
      And deep into stoppage time, Jarell Quansah pulled the trigger on a fine finish to rescue a dramatic point.
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      However, the goal was eventually ruled out by VAR for a handball committed by Alexis Mac Allister earlier in the build-up.
      The controversial decision left Jurgen Klopp enraged after the final whistle.
      And he was even more angry when he had to hold his press conference in a TENT, allowing Toulouse fans to interrupt.
      But it wasn’t just the Reds boss who was upset by the disallowed strike.
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      Jarrell Quansah’s 97th minute strike was chalked off for handballCredit: Reuters
      Jurgen Klopp had to hold his press conference in a tentCredit: AFP
      Uruguay striker Nunez came off the bench in France and cut an unhappy figure at full time.
      As players from both sides shook hands with each other, Nunez had other ideas.
      He first blanked referee Georgi Kabakovafter, seemingly in protest at Liverpool’s 97th minute heartbreak.
      But Nunez also pied Toulouse goalscorer Frank Magri, who attempted to shake the Liverpool man’s hand.
      However, Nunez simply swiped his hand up in the air in a point-blank refusal.
      And fans reacted on social media to the incident, with one saying: “No outrage from the pundits here.”
      Another joked: “He even missed the handshake.”
      One noted: “Liverpool is a big club, their players should have been trained to respect their opponent and have good sportsmanship.”
      Another added: “Imagine the fume if this happened the other way round, we would never hear the end of how disgraceful it is.” More

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      Paul Merson leaks VAR conversation with Mike Dean that ‘worried me immensely’ after huge controversy

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      FORMER Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has expressed concern that VAR is taking up too much time during games.The Premier League match between Tottenham and Chelsea on Monday was interrupted by VAR several times, leaving some fans furious.
      Paul Merson believes VAR takes up too much time during gamesCredit: Getty
      Merson recalled a conversation he had with Mike DeanCredit: Getty
      In the first half alone there were four disallowed goals, three red card checks and two penalty checks.
      Chelsea had another goal disallowed in the second half, but they went on to win the match 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty.
      Blues fan Merson was thrilled with the result, but in his column for Sky Sports he complained that VAR took too long to come to a final decision on a number of calls.
      He wrote: “Every decision in that game could have been sorted in 10 seconds.
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      “Former Premier League referee Mike Dean was on Soccer Saturday last week and he said something that worried me immensely.
      “He said it doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as we get the right decision. Even when it’s so obvious they’re going to check a hundred times.
      “They’ve got to be a lot quicker. They’re so nervous now about getting it wrong that it’s becoming a bit too much.
      “These ones were pretty obvious. If someone else is up there, they’re getting it right in seconds.
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      “Gary Neville on commentary called every one of them straight away.”
      Premier League officials have come under fire on several occasions this season for various controversial decisions.
      The most significant call occurred during Tottenham’s match against Liverpool in September.
      VAR wrongfully ruled out Liverpool’s opening goal after Luis Diaz was adjudged to be offside when he wasn’t. More

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      Man Utd concede penalty for fourth Champions League game in a row and ref has TWO handballs to choose from

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      RECORD-BREAKING Manchester United conceded a penalty for the FOURTH Champions League match in a row.And the referee had TWO handballs to decide between in Copenhagen.
      Raphael Varane was not penalised for handball as the ball bounced off his thighCredit: TNT Sports
      Harry Maguire struck it with his arm inside the areaCredit: TNT Sports
      A close up reveals where contact was madeCredit: TNT Sports
      The Red Devils were cruising in Denmark thanks to two Rasmus Hojlund goals inside 28 minutes.
      However, after Marcus Rashford saw red, Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back for the Danish side in the Group A clash.
      And then deep into 13 minutes of first-half injury time, United gave away yet another spot-kick.
      A cross into the box from the right was flicked on by a Copenhagen forward before Diogo Goncalves got a boot to the ball.
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      That saw it deflect into sub defender Raphael Varane’s thigh and then up on to his hand.
      Varane – who replaced the injured Jonny Evans – was not penalised because the ball ricocheted off another body part before striking his arm, thus not constituting a handball.
      However, the ball immediately fell back to Goncalves’ feet and he flicked the ball up towards goal.
      But Harry Maguire blocked it with his outstretched arm and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot.
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      Goncalves then rolled the penalty home to make it 2-2 in the 54th minute of a drama-filled first half.
      Ironically, in the second half in Copenhagen, United won a controversial spot-kick thanks to another harsh handball – with Bruno Fernandes smashing the effort into the top corner.
      But Copenhagen fought back again and 17-year-old Roony Bardghji scored a dramatic 87th-minute winner to spark wild scenes and brilliant chanting from the home fans.
      However, the latest penalty conceded by United was their fourth in four games in the group stages this season.
      Last time out, in the reverse tie against Copenhagen, Scott McTominay was penalised for a high boot in 95th minute – but was bailed out by Andre Onana’s heroic save.
      Casemiro got sent off for sliding in on Dries Mertens of Galatasaray.
      Mauro Icardid did put his strike wide of the post but moments later got the last laugh when he dinked over Onana.
      And in the first game of the Champions League campaign, Christian Eriksen was on the end of a brutal handball call after a Dayot Upamecano header from point-blank range.
      Harry Kane made no mistake from 12 yards as Bayern sealed a crazy 4-3 victory in Germany.
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      Unsurprisingly, it is the first time since Opta collected stats in 2003-04 that a team have conceded a penalty in their opening four matches of a Champions League campaign.
      But both Leicester City in 2016-17 and Porto last season managed to give away spot-kicks in four consecutive matches in the competition.
      The United defenders appealed against the decisionCredit: Getty
      Diogo Goncalves sent Andre Onana the wrong wayCredit: PA More

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      Mikel Arteta demands rival managers join war on VAR as Arsenal boss refuses to back down over ’embarrassing’ decisions

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      MIKEL ARTETA is calling on his fellow managers to speak out against “the stink in the drawer” of football.The Arsenal boss has been under fire for his emotional reaction to Saturday’s controversial 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
      Mikel Arteta continued his furious rant against the standard of refereeingCredit: Getty
      Newcastle’s goal was allowed to stand after a long VAR checkCredit: Getty
      But he is refusing to back down in his escalating war of words with the Premier League refs over “embarrassing” VAR decisions and insists he will not be silenced in his fight for justice.
      Arteta said: “If you have a problem and you put it in your drawer, the problem is still there and at some point it’s going to stink.
      “So we have to talk loudly to improve things and that’s what we are trying to do.
      “When we are all together for the managers’ meetings, we all share the same feelings about this.
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      “And I am sure I have the support of those managers when they are not directly affected by these decisions.”
      Arteta is still fuming over Anthony Gordon’s St James’ Park winner, although he refused to specify which of the three VAR reviews he disagreed with.

      Arsenal believe the ball had gone out of play in the build-up to the goal, Gabriel was fouled by Joelinton and Gordon was offside when he prodded the ball over the line.
      Arteta is unlikely to face any disciplinary action from the FA because he did not question the integrity of the match officials despite insisting that the goal was “an absolute disgrace”.
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      But Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu appeared to hit out at Arteta’s weekend tirade when he said: “At some point we have to accept the referee’s decision,” following his team’s controversial 4-1 defeat by Chelsea.
      Yet Arteta insisted: “I fully agree that we have to show respect. And that’s what we try to do.
      “But to respect them you need to have a good trust and the capacity to have a conversation and express opinions. That’s what respect is built on.”
      Replays proved inconclusive as to whether Joe Willock kept the ball inCredit: Sky Sports
      Ange Postecoglou seemed to take a dig at his North London rival after Spurs lost to ChelseaCredit: Getty
      Jurgen Klopp let rip after the VAR mistake when Liverpool played TottenhamCredit: EPA More