Liverpool icon, Jamie Carragher, has his say on whether Xavi Simons should have been sent-off for his challenge on Virgil van Dijk during the Reds’ win over Tottenham.
Liverpool great Jamie Carragher has admitted that it’s difficult to dispute Xavi Simons deserving a red card for his tackle on Virgil van Dijk. Nevertheless, the Sky Sports analyst reckons there was another incident that warranted a Tottenham player being dismissed.
Examining Simons’ challenge on Liverpool captain, van Dijk, Carragher explained on Monday Night Football (MNF): “When I saw it at normal speed I didn’t think it was a red card, but then you slow it down and it looks horrific, but I think everything does slowed down.
“But I’ve got a little bit of sympathy for Simons. And the reason I say this, and we are going to slow it down a lot now, and maybe that makes the tackle look a lot worse, but when I’ve been a player, the only thing I can think he’s trying to do is, Virgil van Dijk’s maybe going to go back to his goalkeeper, and you know sometimes when there’s such a big difference in the size and power and you’re trying to leave one on somebody, almost knock them off the ball.
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“I just want to really look at his eyes – look at the way his arms are going. He’s looking at the top of Virgil van Dijk; I actually think he’s just clumsy and he doesn’t realise where his feet are going.
“I think he thinks; ‘I’m gonna leave one on him’. We’ve all done that, and give him a bit of a whack, maybe knock him over and give a foul. And look at his arms the way they come up now, to almost give a shove to him.
“Now I know the tackle will look horrific because it’s really slowed down, but his arms are there to go; ‘I’m gonna give van Dijk a bit of a knock on the back’. And I almost think he’s not even aware of where his foot is going, and he’s just caught him on the back.
“And when you see it there it looks horrific and you can’t almost say it’s not a red card when you look at it like that, but I’m trying to put myself in his head and think what he was thinking and that thing of like, we’ve all done it as players where you think; ‘I’ll just give someone a shoulder barge’.”
“But because the difference in size is so big he’s almost overdone it and he’s just got clumsy where his foots gone. But when you look at that as a still (image), it looks horrific.”
When pressed on whether VAR should have maintained the referee’s initial decision of a yellow card, Carragher continued: “Listen, I can’t say it’s not a red card, but if you’re asking me would I rather that be a red card or (Rodrigo) Bentancur’s challenge on (Milos) Kerkez, then it would be Bentancur’s challenge on Kerkez in the second half every day of the week.”
While Arne Slot will be delighted with securing three points on the road, the Dutchman won’t be pleased with fitness worries surrounding Alexander Isak. The £125m signing couldn’t celebrate his goal after a hefty challenge from Micky van de Ven.
The Tottenham defender escaped without a booking for the tackle that forced Isak to leave the field, though former player Jay Bothroyd thinks more severe action was warranted.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, he said: “Van de Ven has not intentionally tried to hurt Isak. Obviously, he’s desperate to stop a goal and he’s coming across to stop the shot.
“This is an example where, yes, Isak has scored, but it should still be a red card. He’s lunging, he’s going into him. Every explanation you want to give for a red-card challenge is there. Because he’s scored, they’ve let it go.
“He’s lunged, he’s out of control. He’s trying to make a block, but he’s never going to get there. If that’s out in the middle of the park, I think that’s a red card.”
Nevertheless, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher took a different opinion. He contended: “I can’t see that he’s done anything that a footballer wouldn’t. I would be astonished if that was given as a red card anywhere on the field.
“Players mistime challenges all the time. He’s slightly late… it’s not a red card. Whether it be in the penalty area, in the D, the centre-circle or the other half.”
