SEAN DYCHE: STOP MAKING REFEREES ANNOUNCE DECISIONS, LET THEM OFFICIATE
Sean Dyche questions the lengthy 5:33 VAR deliberation in Forest's 1-0 victory, arguing the speed of decisions must improve to protect managers.
After Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win at Wolves, manager Sean Dyche expressed his confusion over the lengthy VAR reviews.
Igor Jesus had a first-half goal disallowed for offside after a VAR check that took five minutes and 33 seconds.
Even though Dan Ndoye was clearly offside in front of Wolves' goalie, Sam Johnstone, VAR official Rob Jones needed a very long time to tell referee Tim Robinson to look at the monitor. Then, the referee also took a long time to decide, even though it looked obvious on the replay.
Jesus did score the winning goal in the second half, but Dyche was more concerned about the time it took to make the offside call.
Dyche said managers used to worry about bad calls that could cost them their jobs. Now, VAR should make things more fair, but there will still be hard decisions, even with VAR.
He went on to say that five minutes is too long. With so many people in the VAR room, they should be able to make those calls much faster.
Dyche understands the fans' frustration, but he also knows that his job can rely on these calls. It’s a tough situation. When reviews take that long, it goes back to what he said when VAR was first introduced: they need to speed it up.
Dyche also doesn’t get why referees have to announce the decision to the crowd after a VAR check.
"It takes forever already, so just make the call and move on," he said. He thinks referees have a tough job and do well overall. There’s no reason to add more pressure by making them speak in front of a huge crowd. It’s not natural for everyone, so just let them do their job without making it harder.
One goal was always going to be enough against Wolves. They haven't scored in five league games and look like they're headed for relegation.
They haven’t won in 14 games, and with games against Manchester United and Arsenal coming up, they could be in trouble.
Wolves' manager, Rob Edwards, seems to have accepted their fate. He asked his players if they were scared at halftime, and they said no. He told them that they don't want to go down without a fight. That will be the message moving forward.
£35M LOSS: ANALYZING THE COLLAPSE OF HARVEY ELLIOTT'S MANDATORY VILLA TRANSFER
Harvey Elliott's loan to Aston Villa is ending early after just six months. The mandatory £35M purchase clause is now unlikely to be activated.
Harvey Elliott's time at Aston Villa might be cut short. Just six months after joining the club, he might be leaving in January.
The attacking midfielder came from Liverpool on a season-long loan on deadline day in September.
The deal with Villa included a requirement to buy him, plus clauses about selling him later or buying him back.
But, Elliott hasn't played much since joining Villa, even though they won against other teams in the Premier League and Europe to get him.
Unai Emery said that the club is looking at what to do with the 22-year-old before the next transfer window opens next month.
This comes after Elliott didn't travel with the team for their Europa League game against Basel on Thursday.
Emery talked about Elliott's future at Villa in a press conference before a game.
He said, We're talking with him about his situation.
He's not with us. We hope we can find the best solution for him and for us.
I respect him as a player and as a person. He's training well, but there's a situation with him.
Hopefully, we can find a solution for him to play often and continue his career, either with us or somewhere else.
Elliott has played in only five games for Villa since joining, scoring once.
His last game was a short four-minute appearance against Feyenoord in the Europa League in October.
He hasn't been in the squad for any of Villa's last seven Premier League games.
Emery added, I've spoken with him two or three times about the situation.
First, my decision and also the situation. He's on loan with us, but he's not really contributing to us with a permanent contract.
This is a setback for Liverpool.
Liverpool was supposed to get £35 million when Elliott's loan to Villa became a permanent deal.
But the requirement to buy him kicks in only if he plays in 10 games for the club.
So, the Reds will likely miss out on that money this summer since he's only played about half that many games.
If Elliott leaves Villa, he'll likely have to return to Anfield in January.
The former England under-21 player played twice for Liverpool this season before being loaned out.
FIFA rules say players can only play for two clubs in one season.
Elliott could get around this rule by joining a club in a league that runs from summer to winter, like those in the MLS.
BUNDESLIGA STAR: ANALYZING NATHANIEL BROWN'S FIT FOR TOTTENHAM'S DEFENSE
An analytical look at Nathaniel Brown's Bundesliga performance shows why he is a top target for Spurs. Can they beat out three major rivals for the defender?
According to a recent report from journalist Dean Jones, Tottenham Hotspur will have a tough time signing Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown. Spurs will have to compete with Manchester City, West Ham United, Manchester United, and Arsenal to get the German defender next year.
Brown has played well on Frankfurt’s left side this season. The 22-year-old has one goal and four assists in 20 games for the German club in all competitions.
The German player has shown he can defend well, with 30 tackles, 15 blocks, ten interceptions, and 16 clearances in the Bundesliga. He also passes the ball well from the left, with an 81.3% pass success rate in the German top league (stats via fbref.com).
His contract with the German club ends in the summer of 2030, so it won’t be easy for Tottenham to sign him next year.
Should Tottenham Hotspur Manager Thomas Frank Sign Brown?
Brown is a good tackler and times his challenges well to win the ball back. He clears the ball when the other team is attacking and is also a good passer.
The German player can score and assist goals from the left. Brown is mainly a left-back but can also play as a left-sided midfielder if needed. We’ll see if he can handle the Premier League’s physicality and intensity if Spurs sign him next year.
Brown would make Tottenham manager Thomas Frank’s defence better and deeper. He could earn a regular spot in the first team at the North London club in the years ahead.
At 22, Brown could become a star in English soccer if he keeps improving each season. Overall, Frank should sign him in 2026.