No doubt, Pickford should've gone for clattering Van Dijk, but the fallout is ridiculous. VAR isn't to blame, the humans controlling it are...but this is exactly why VAR is essential. Fans will never accept a bad decision that goes against them. Fan opinion created VAR. 1/4
Pickford was reckless, but all this 'he should be banned for the duration of VVD's injury'..I can't get on board with that. It's worth 3 matches and no more. It's not vicious or deliberate. It's unfortunate, but it's not an assault, as hyperbole would have you believe. 2/4
I support retrospective action in theory, but in this case, the ref believed it was a coming together. So the rules state that is that. We can't ref games after they finish. If he was given a violent conduct 3-game ban, then fine, but that would mean rewriting the rules. 3/4.
I know fans are enraged when one of their players are injured in a challenge. We all remember Carragher ruining Nani at the height of his best form. But football is a contact sport, and players will get hurt. Reaction to this incident has been ludicrous. 4/4.
You can follow @_Rob_B.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: