Gyokeres Penalty Was A Wrong Decision – Diego Simeone

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has reacted to the penalty controversy that blighted his team’s UCL clash against Arsenal. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

Stressing that Gyokeres anticipated the contact inside the box before going down, he appreciated VAR for overturning the error that would’ve led to a penalty for Eberechi Eze.

Simeone added that his players will do everything possible to overcome the massive challenge awaiting the team at the Emirates Stadium.

His words, “In my opinion, the first penalty involved contact from behind, the player anticipated the contact and went down. In Champions League semi-finals, you need a penalty that is truly a penalty.

The referee understood that it was. On the other occasion, thanks to VAR, he understood that it was a penalty because initially it wasn’t a handball, and then, in the second instance, also thanks to VAR, it wasn’t a penalty.

VAR sometimes gives you the benefit of the doubt and sometimes it takes it away.

I rarely remember this atmosphere at the start of the match. Tremendous, wonderful, a gift to the team. The first half was calmer, with one chance for Julián and one for them.

In the second half we adjusted more, you could see their fatigue from so many games that they’ve played, that they have to win the Premier League, the Champions League.

In the second half we could have taken the lead, but their goalkeeper had good saves, a defender saved one from Griezmann.

We have an extraordinary challenge ahead of us: London, Arsenal’s ground. We will go and play with everything.”

WOW.

Arsenal Football Club is an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London. Arsenal compete in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.

The club has won 13 league titles (including one unbeaten title), a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, 17 FA Community Shields, the Football League Centenary Trophy, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In terms of trophies won, it is the third-most successful club in English football.

After conducting an overhaul in the club’s operating model to coincide with Wenger’s departure, Spaniard Unai Emery was named as the club’s new head coach on 23 May 2018. He became the club’s first ever ‘head coach’ and second manager from outside the United Kingdom.

In Emery’s first season, Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League and as runner-up in the Europa League. On 29 November 2019, Emery was dismissed as manager and former player and assistant first team coach Freddie Ljungberg was appointed as interim head coach. On 20 December 2019, Arsenal appointed former club captain Mikel Arteta as the new head coach. Arsenal finished the league season in eighth, their lowest finish since 1994–95, but beat Chelsea 2–1 to earn a record-extending 14th FA Cup win. After the season. Arteta’s title was changed from head coach to manager.