Roberto De Zerbi

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi verdict after Brighton lose to Aston Villa #BHAFC

Roberto De Zerbi hit out at Aston Villa time-wasting as Albion went down at the Amex. The head coach was booked for his complaints as Villa protected a precious 2-1 lead. He offered more veiled criticism of two penalty decisions. Danny Ing scored from the spot to cancel out Alexis Mac Allister’s first-minute opener. Villa were protecting a lead given them by a deflected Ings shot when Lucas Digne appeared to foul Solly March. De Zerbi said: “If the games are 90 minutes, during the 90 minutes you have to play, you can’t play 45 or 44 minutes. “To lose is not a big problem. It is not a big problem to lose one game like with Villa we lost, but I would like to play normal time. “Not 90 minutes because it is not normal to play for 90 minutes but maybe 60 minutes no? “Yes, a lot of wasting time. Too much wasting time. I thought before I came to work in the Premier League. I thought in the Premier League the people were correct, also in Italy, also in Latin countries, but it is not like this. “I think the referee had to control the game. This work is his work. Not my work, not my players’ work, not our fans work. For this situation I was angry and frustrated.” VAR Jarred Gillet reviewed the incident involving March. De Zerbi said: “About this particular situation, I don’t like to speak or like to focus, but you have to watch again. “Both penalties. First for Villa and second for us, because also, the first penalty it is not so clear.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl

#PLStories- Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl frustrated with referees unable to prevent time wasting tactics by players #SaintsFC

RALPH Hasenhuttl admits he “understands” Watford’s desire to waste time while leading, but questions whether supporters want to see it with referees and officials left powerless. Roy Hodgson’s side won 2-1 and picked up a crucial three points to lift them to 18th in the Premier League and level on points with Everton, after a first-half Cucho Hernandez double. The relegation scrappers proceeded to slow the game down at every opportunity, keeping Saints out for the entirety of the second-half despite Moi Elyounoussi getting one back before the break. It was the second time in a week that the St Mary’s support had watched on as a team put backs against the wall and used the dark arts to “disrupt the rhythm” of Hasenhuttl’s side, after Newcastle’s 2-1 victory on Thursday “We know that the Premier League is a tough league,” Hasenhuttl said, speaking after the match. “And when you have a start like we had today, a chance to score and then concede a goal, nearly an own goal, and then things are going in a different direction. “I must congratulate Watford for the three points, they absolutely need them, they deserve them because of their defensive performance. Their coolness and cleverness. “I would maybe do the same when in a relegation battle, I don’t know if I want to see this in the Premier League where every action is stopped immediately with one laying on the ground after every foul.” He continued: “But I understand this, they are fighting for their life. It is hard then to find the rhythm for us, hard to find our game and this is the second time this week this happens. “Against Newcastle it was very similar, we must learn to find solutions to this. As a young team we must learn to stay cool, to stay patient and to break them down and create chances to score. But that good we are not so far, this is what we have to learn. “Our decision making was driven from stress, from impatience and not waiting for the right moment because of what I have just said. “This is what we are missing at the moment. You could feel that we had definitely not our highest level with the ball and not our highest level against the ball. Then it looks like this.” Asked if the referees should be doing more to prevent it, Hasenhuttl admitted they could not. “I had the discussion on Thursday evening with the same couple (Graham Scott and Kevin Friend),” he revealed. “The other one was the fourth official and the other was leading the match and what can they do? “This is a very difficult situation for them, they stop games because somebody is lying on the ground. We can never keep on playing, what can they do? “This is tough, I understand completely they are in a relegation battle and need everything to stop our rhythm, I only don’t know if people want to see this? “This is not for me to decide, but for the supporters to decide if they want to see this.”