Defending set pieces is in danger of becoming a farce because of new directives issued to referees regarding pulling and pushing inside the area, Peter Crouch has warned.
The Stoke City and former England forward made his damning assessment after watching his team’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, a game in which two penalties were awarded by Mike Dean. The first came on 27 minutes after the Stoke captain, Ryan Shawcross, was spotted grabbing Nicolás Otamendi’s arm as he looked to make contact with a Kevin De Bruyne corner, while the other was given on 47 minutes after Raheem Sterling was deemed to have unfairly blocked Shawcross as he tried to run on to a corner from Joe Allen.
Both decisions are a consequence of instructions handed down to officials by their representative body, Professional Game Match Officials Limited, at the start of the season to clamp down on illegal contact during the buildup to corners and free-kicks. The measure, along with Dean’s enforcement of it at the bet365 Stadium, has broadly been welcomed but Crouch feels it will lead to more problems than solutions.
“They [the referees] came in at the start of the season and said that there were going to be more penalties this year,” said the 35-year-old, who was an unused substitute. “I think Ryan was pulled up in the media a few times about holding and stuff like that. Obviously the referee was dying to give that today. Then it looked like he evened things up to be honest.
“If you’re going to give penalties away like that there are going to be a lot of penalties and people will be asking for consistency. I haven’t seen them back but if they’re penalties then you’re going to be giving two or three a game and it’s going to be a farce.”
Mark Hughes has also called on referees to show consistency in regards to the enforcement of the new directive but, after Saturday’s game, the Stoke manager expressed his doubt over that happening. “Let’s hope that now every time Mike Dean referees he referees in the same manner. My experience is that there is a purge for three or four weeks and then everyone reverts to type,” he added.
Saturday’s penalties are the only ones to be awarded as a direct result of the new guideline so far this Premier League season but Crouch feels that given they happened in a high-profile, live televised match, they will have an immediate effect on defending at set pieces. “There’s going to be no pulling or holding because if you do it’s a penalty,” said the player. “You’d rather let him [the opposition player] have a header, which sounds ridiculous but that’s the way the game seems to be going.
“It’s a contact sport but obviously you’re just going to have to keep your arms down and get in their face with your body. It’s just something we’re going to have to learn to adapt to.
“A few years ago it was part and parcel of the game – you just knew a defender was going to hold you and impede you and on the odd occasion you would get a penalty, but only if it’s blatantly obvious. I was happy with that rule. You win some, you lose some, that’s how I grew up playing football, you knew the defender was going to hold you. I think it was more an issue for the media than for players. It’s going to be a long season for defenders.”
