Iraola Tells Players to Fall for Penalties

Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola said he will tell his players to go down when fouled in the box. This comes after Liverpool's penalty appeal was turned down during their 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday.

In the first half, Liverpool wanted a penalty after Jurrien Timber seemed to pull Alexander Isak’s shirt as he tried to connect with a cross from Bradley Barcola.

Isak stayed on his feet despite the contact, and referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue. Video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell later looked at the incident but felt there was not enough contact to change the referee's decision.

Iraola disagreed with that call. He said Isak’s decision to stay up cost Liverpool a penalty.

As reported by BBC Sport on Sunday, Iraola said, "There is a clear grab of the shirt," during an interview with Match of the Day.

"Alex [Isak] was just in front of him. He was going to head in front of the goal but couldn’t because he grabbed the shirt.

"If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty 100%. It should be like this but it is what it is. Next time, the managers should tell Alex to go to the floor, otherwise they won’t call it."

When asked what players should do in similar situations, Iraola added, "The answer is you have to dive. If you don’t dive, they won’t call it."

Iraola said he would advise Isak to fall in those situations instead of staying upright.

"Yes, definitely," he replied when asked if he would give that advice to the striker.

At his post-match press conference, Iraola expressed his frustration with the way players who stay on their feet are treated.

"It’s a shame you ask me this question, but honestly, yes, we have to tell them, go down, because they’re not going to call it otherwise," he said.

"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."

Despite this, he praised Isak for trying to play fairly instead of exaggerating the contact.

"But I think Alex is honest. He tries to go for the ball. Everyone can see live straight away that there is a clear, clear pull," Iraola added.

The general view is that the contact between Timber and Isak was seen as minimal. The shirt tug was viewed as not enough to be a holding offence.

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport that Timber took a big risk by pulling Isak’s shirt.

"Timber takes a huge risk by grabbing the shirt. It could easily have been given on another day," Cann said.

"It’s right on the limit. It has to be sustained holding, some will say it was sustained, some will say it wasn’t. But it’s interesting that Isak didn’t even appeal."

Iraola also acknowledged that an apology from Pro Ref, the Premier League’s refereeing body, would not really change anything.

Liverpool had another penalty appeal denied when Cody Gakpo went down in the box after pressure from Christos Tzolis.

This situation has once again opened up discussions about consistency in Premier League officiating. Many are wondering if players who try to stay on their feet are getting a raw deal when it comes to penalties.