‘Difficult for the referees’ – Arteta on discussions around set-piece grappling | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta sympathised with the difficulty referees are facing amid ongoing discussions around the level of physicality that should be allowed.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted he does not enjoy watching most Premier League games due to the increasing focus on set-pieces, while Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick said grappling and pushing at set-pieces has gone too far.

The discussion comes after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, when all three goals were scored from set-pieces.

“I think the referees have to put where that line is,” Arteta responded when asked about grappling at set-pieces.

“It’s happening in open play in many circumstances. There are a lot of videos flying around about that.

“So it’s happening across the game in various phases, not only on set-pieces. Certain things are allowed, certain things are not, and I think it becomes difficult for the referees.”