EX-REF HACKETT: LUCAS PAQUETA NEEDS PSYCHOLOGIST AFTER RED CARD MELTDOWN
Former PGMOL head Keith Hackett says West Ham must hire a psychologist for Lucas Paqueta after his sarcastic applause and red card vs. Liverpool, calling his actions "childish."
West Ham needs to give Lucas Paqueta some serious support after his sending-off in the 2-0 loss to Liverpool.
That's according to Keith Hackett, an ex-FIFA referee and former head of PGMOL, who told Football Insider that Darren England shares some blame for Paqueta's dismissal at the London Stadium.
Captain Jarrod Bowen didn't pull Paqueta away from the ref. Paqueta, 28, was initially booked for a foul on Dominik Szoboszlai and then sarcastically applauded as he left the field.
Paqueta had just returned from a suspension after accumulating five yellow cards in the league when he got two quick bookings for arguing with the referee.
Hackett has suggested before that Nicolas Jackson needed a psychologist at Chelsea after his red card issues before he moved to Bayern Munich.
Hackett thinks Paqueta could benefit from the same kind of help, especially after the FA investigated him for betting allegations over the past couple of years.
He was cleared, but Paqueta still blamed the authorities for his mental health in a heated social media post. Some fans have pushed back against his claims.
Nuno Espirito Santo will be without Paqueta for at least three games, but his sarcastic applause could lead to a longer ban.
Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, said, “If I were the manager, I’d stop his wages and say, ‘This isn’t good for the team.’” And it’s not.
It’s petty and childish, and he was never going to win that argument. Teams prepare, and they’ll know each player's attitude and how they react.
It’s up to his manager first. Get him to a sports psychologist to talk about pressure, body language, and controlling his emotions. If he feels like he has a chip on his shoulder, how do you fix that?
He went right up to the referee, leaving him no choice. The referee made the right call. It’s up to the club to stop this from happening.
Applauding the referee's decision will only result in a longer ban.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.