Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said that the Premier League referees are testing his patience with their inconsistencies this season. Slot earned a good reputation for acting with class and composure during his managerial tenure before succeeding manager Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp left Liverpool after admitting he felt burnt out and lacked the energy to continue his legendary tenure. Many fans have highlighted the role of Premier League officials in exhausting the German’s stay in England over the years.
Liverpool have lost many Premier League titles in the past with controversial calls deciding the fate of the prestigious competition. Last season, the Reds suffered heavily with poor officiating from legitimate goals deemed offside to numerous objective decisions against Liverpool.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admitted that the Premier League referees have tested his patience. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admitted that the Premier League referees have tested his patience. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
While many situations in the game are subjective and warrant leniency for referees, objective decisions must be consistent. Liverpool have also faced a lot of poor officiating this season, with Slot receiving three yellow cards for reactions.
During the last game against Fulham, Liverpool received a rightful red card for Any Robertson but many decisions shocked them. Three players from the West London club survived a red card despite the nature of the incident requiring mandatory disciplinary action.
Slot reacted to one of the situations in the second half when Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, already in a yellow card, made a tactical foul on Ryan Gravenberch. Gravenberch opted to stay on his feet but a tactical foul a mandatory yellow card which the Fulham’s fullback survived.
The Dutch head coach received his third yellow card for reacting to the incident after staying patient before it. Liverpool fans have already voiced their concern over the partiality, as the events are too frequent to ignore.
Speaking to the media (via The Guardian) before the Southampton game, Slot admitted that Premier League referees have acted biased against Liverpool. He said:
“You always reflect but I think in general I am calm. I don’t know if it is smart to say this but there is also a limit for me, let’s put it that way, and then I can get emotional. Unfortunately, that limit is only reached by refereeing decisions or the decisions my players make. They make more good decisions than the referees do in my opinion, for my team.”
From last season’s VAR drama to the David Coote saga, Liverpool fans have reached the point of having no trust in officials. The Reds should move forward while maintaining the idea that there is one big extraneous factor, the officiating, that will work against them.
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Liverpool are at the top of the Premier League and the Champions League with no margin for error. The best course of action is to focus on the things that are under their control and leave no room for such factors to decide their fate.