Andoni Iraola has said Liverpool will have to start telling their players to go to ground. He spoke after Alexander Isak stayed on his feet under a clear shirt-pull and was given nothing in Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal at Anfield.
Kai Havertz’s early goal decided the match, giving Arsenal their first league win at Anfield since 2012. Afterwards, though, most of the attention was on a first-half incident. Jurrien Timber held back Isak as the Swede went to meet a Bradley Barcola cross. Referee Andy Madley waved play on, and VAR Stuart Attwell decided the tug was not enough to overturn the on-field call.
“It’s a shame you ask me this question,” Iraola said. “But honestly, yes, we have to tell them to go down because they are not going to call it otherwise.”
Honesty goes unrewarded
Iraola did not accept the reasoning behind the decision. “I don’t see the reason why,” he said. “Only because he hasn’t dived or he hasn’t gone to the floor. It shouldn’t be a reason, but of course it’s a penalty.”
Timber did not appear to try to play the ball. Some reports said that if a penalty had been given, the Dutchman could have faced a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Under the Premier League’s current guidelines, holding offences in the box are judged on their effect on the attacker. Isak staying upright seems to have counted against Liverpool, which is exactly the point Iraola was making.
The Spaniard was equally clear that Liverpool’s finishing let them down. Florian Wirtz curled a free-kick against the crossbar and Alexis Mac Allister headed a good chance over before half-time.
“We had good chances – we hit the crossbar and had good situations we were not able to finish,” Iraola said. “We definitely deserved a goal. I loved the reaction from my players after going 1-0 down. I loved a lot of moments of the game.”
The defeat was only Iraola’s second since he replaced Arne Slot. Before Sunday, Liverpool had won five in a row in all competitions: Brighton in the league, a comeback against Villarreal in the Champions League and a League Cup win on penalties against Chelsea.
A familiar argument, from the other side
Iraola’s comments carry some irony. In November 2024, while in charge of Bournemouth, he accused Havertz of diving to win a penalty against his side. He warned then that rewarding players who go looking for contact would encourage coaches and players to do the same.
Two years on, he is making the opposite complaint. His striker did not go looking for a foul and got nothing. The two positions do fit together: in both cases Iraola’s target is a refereeing standard that he believes rewards going down over staying up.
Liverpool’s past managers have argued about diving in both directions. Jurgen Klopp spent much of the 2017-18 season defending Mohamed Salah against diving accusations, and once cited Sky Sports’ Ref Watch to argue Liverpool were “not a team of divers”. Iraola’s comments go further than Klopp ever did. A manager saying publicly that he will tell his players to go down is likely to get the attention of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and possibly the Football Association.
Iraola did not expect an apology to change much. Asked whether PGMOL might admit an error, he said it “is not going to change anything”.
Sunday also ended a strong run for Iraola against Arsenal. He had beaten Mikel Arteta in three of their previous four meetings while at Bournemouth.
What it means going forward
The result sends Arsenal three points clear of Manchester City at the top and nine clear of Liverpool. It is also a quick recovery from Tuesday’s League Cup exit on penalties to League Two side Fleetwood Town.
“After the defeat against Fleetwood, it looks like the end of the world, it looks like what are we doing?” Arteta said. “Then you have to pick yourself up and understand that this is the beautiful part of this game.”
Arteta called the result the end of a long “mission”. “The mission was something that we didn’t accomplish in 14 years and there were reasons for that,” he said. “Some of them were psychological problems, some of them were related to the quality that we showed on the pitch.”
For Liverpool, a nine-point gap after nine games is significant but not decisive. Iraola stressed that the season is still young.
“We have to keep going,” he said. “It is very early in the season. Arsenal are in the best of the situations but it is just the start of November today.”
Iraola’s next press conference is likely to be dominated by the penalty row. Key points to watch:
- Whether PGMOL comments publicly on the Timber-Isak incident or the VAR process behind it.
- Whether Iraola stands by or softens his “go down” remarks once he has had time to reflect.
- Whether the FA takes any interest in a manager saying publicly that he will encourage simulation.
- How Liverpool respond on the pitch, with ground to make up on Arsenal and City in the title race.
Iraola’s frustration is understandable. If he follows through on it, though, Liverpool would be going against the honesty he said should be rewarded.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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