Month: May 2019

After a number of high-profile incidents this season, UEFA wants the way the sport handles such injuries to be reassessed

UEFA has asked FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to review regulations regarding concussion.

The 2018-19 season saw high-profile examples of head injuries during games, including a worrying incident involving Jan Vertonghen.

Tottenham’s centre-back was caught in the head during the Champions League semi-final against Ajax and later had to be helped from the field of play, having initially attempted to play on.

Spurs later said tests showed Vertonghen did not sustain a concussion, but the incident sparked a debate over the way head injuries are handled in football.

Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina was also taken to hospital after a Serie A game against Udinese in March when he collapsed having attempted to play on after sustaining a head injury.

And UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin wants improvements to be made.

“The health of players is of utmost importance and I strongly believe that the current regulations on concussion need updating to protect both the players and the doctors and to ensure appropriate diagnosis can be made without disadvantaging the teams affected,” said Ceferin.

Current concussion protocol from FIFA suggests a six-day rest period after a player is diagnosed with a concussion, but allows team medical staff to make the final decision.

UEFA, whose executives met in Baku on Wednesday ahead of the Europa League final, believe FIFA should look at changes to the rules of the game, even around substitutions, saying such changes would “reduce the pressure on medical staff and give doctors more time to assess a potential concussion off the pitch, so that no concussed player returns to the field of play.”

In the 2018 World Cup Morroccan player Nordin Amrabat played only five days after a concussion. The winger should have missed six days per the FIFA guidelines, but took the field regardless.

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That was just one of the incidents that led an independent study from the New York Hospital for Special Surgery to call concussion protocols ‘ineffective’ in two thirds of games at FIFA’s flagship tournament.

Last year Liverpool goalkeeper Lorius Karius made two mistakes in the Champions League final, handing the game to Real Madrid as a result. It was later revealed Karius played almost the whole game with a concussion.

 

The former Blues midfielder laid the blame for the negative attention the press give to the London side at the door of the club’s executives

Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has criticised Chelsea for the ‘constant negativity’ surrounding the club.

The Spanish international midfielder spent five years at Stamford Bridge before leaving for Monaco in January 2019.

Fabregas referenced a series of controversies surrounding former players and coaches and laid the blame at the door of the club for failing to clear the air often enough, causing a negative atmosphere.

He suggested that those in charge in west London were letting the fans down.

“All the years I spent at Chelsea sometimes there’s a negativity surrounding things,” he said on BT Sport before the Europa League final, which features another of his former clubs, Arsenal taking on the Blues.

“I mean Mourinho leaves the club, they have a fight. Conte leaves the club, they go to court.

“Some of the biggest legends who played for Chelsea in recent times [Thibaut] Courtois, Diego Costa, the club doesn’t come out and say how things are.

“So they just let the fans think whatever they want to think, they don’t have enough information.

“Someone should come out every now and then and talk to the press and say what’s happening. If not there’s so many questions surrounding the club.”

Fabregas went on to suggest that the persistently negative press coverage was taking the shine off what has been a good season.

Chelsea play their second final this year on Wednesday, having lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City in March

“The press talk and talk and talk,” he continued.

“There’s so much negativity surrounding the club and it should always be positivity. For example, tonight, they’re playing in a European final and we’re talking about negativity.

“We should be talking about the season they’ve had, qualifying for the Champions League, and being in two cup finals, tonight they could win one.

“Something has to change for sure.”

Fabregas is unlikely to get his wish as rumours continue to swirl that current manager Maurizio Sarri will leave at the end of the year after just one season in charge.

Star player Eden Hazard looks set to leave for Real Madrid, and with a UEFA transfer ban in place, albeit under appeal, controversy seems set to stay at Stamford Bridge.

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With London rivals Tottenham disputing Europe’s biggest club title, only a win in Baku will be sufficient for the Blues’ Belgian star

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has admitted that losing to Arsenal in the Europa League final would be a catastrophic way to sign off on the Blues’ roller-coaster 2018-19 season. 

The west London club have seen plenty of highs and lows over the last 12 months, falling way off the pace of Premier League title challengers Liverpool and Manchester City before finally sealing a top-four place at the end of the campaign. 

They also experienced final anguish at the hands of Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and fought through to Wednesday’s Europa League decider in Baku, marking a drama-packed maiden term for coach Maurizio Sarri. 

Chelsea are now out to regain the European crown they last won in 2012-13, and Hazard is aware that defeat would hit hard.

“We want to be the best in London. Tottenham are in the Champions League final, that’s terrible,” the Belgium international explained to BT Sport prior to kick-off.

“If we lose against Arsenal, it’s going to be a disaster for the club, for the fans for the players.

“If we win a trophy it’s going to be a good season.”

Hazard has widely been linked with a move away from the club this summer, having hinted at the fact in the lead up to Wednesday’s match. 

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Real Madrid are seen as the front-runners, with president Florentino Perez saying that he hopes to bring Hazard to Spain this summer.

Having missed out on a Champions League spot last season, Chelsea breezed through their Europa League group with five wins and a draw to finish ahead of BATE, Videoton and PAOK. 

Their journey to Wednesday’s final has since seen them down Malmo, Dinamo Kiev, Slavia Prague and Frankfurt, the latter beaten in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out after back-to-back 1-1 draws. 

Arsenal, meanwhile, eliminated BATE, Rennes, Napoli and Valencia in the knock-out stages to book this all-Premier League date in Baku.

The Blues manager angrily threw his hat and walked out of his team’s final session before the Europa League final

Maurizio Sarri has explained his anger over not being able to practice set-pieces led him to storm out of Chelsea’s final training session ahead of the Europa League final.

The Chelsea boss angrily threw his hat and left training at the Olympic Stadium in Baku on Tuesday, leading to questions over why he was so upset.

With Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz clashing at the end of a training match during the session, there was speculation that Sarri’s anger was over that confrontation.

Sarri though, has denied that was the case, instead saying he was happy to see that kind of competitiveness from his players

“I think you were not able to understand yesterday, because if my players are really aggressive in training, I am happy, not disappointed,” Sarri told BT Sport ahead of Wednesday’s match against Arsenal.

Instead, Sarri said his anger was due to his inability to practice set-pieces with cameras watching.

“I was disappointed because we wanted to try our solutions on set pieces, but after 50 minutes of training the cameras were there and so we were disappointed for the situation, not for the players,” the Italian said.

Speaking on BT Sport, Cesc Fabregas backed up his former manager’s version of events. 

“I guarantee you this is the truth,” Fabregas, who began the season with Chelsea but moved to Monaco in January, said of Sarri’s explanation.

“He’s very superstitious. He loves to do the set-pieces, tactics, offensively, defensively, the day before a game.

“They didn’t allow him to do it because it was an open session.

“For sure they would have told him, that’s the weird thing about it, but the superstition is too much for him, he has to do it that way.”

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The former Red Devils striker doesn’t think the club can solve its crisis in the transfer market alone and is cautious about links to Gareth Bale

Michael Owen doesn’t think that Manchester United can overhaul their squad in just one transfer window, but backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to promote young players to boost his side’s fortunes.

Many have been calling for a clear-out at Old Trafford this summer but the ex-United, Liverpool and Real Madrid forward doesn’t believe it’s possible for United to extract value for players if they try to offload too many.

He did say he sees some hopes of recovery for United under Solskjaer, but admitted he also saw a regression.

“It’s quite hard to get rid of more than three or four players in one window, particularly if you want something in return,” Owen told Press Association Sport.

“I thought I had a better handle on United in that I believed they were a better team than they had shown under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and [Jose] Mourinho.

“And we saw that for a dozen games or so when Solskjaer came in but there was a relapse.”

Owen believes United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League will hurt any recruitment drive, suggesting instead they look within the club structure.

“The squad obviously needs some surgery and it won’t be easy without Champions League football next season – great players want that,” the 39-year-old continued.

“So I don’t think it’s realistic that they’re going to be able to make 10 changes in one summer.

“One thing I’m sure we’ll see under Solskjaer next season is a big push on youth.

“I expect we’ll see four or five of their talented youngsters step up from the academy and I think one or two of those could go on to be proper Manchester United players in the future.”

Owen was not so certain of the financial wisdom of signing Gareth Bale, a player he is well-placed to understand.

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Bale has cut an increasingly isolated figure at Real Madrid this year, a club where Owen spent one difficult season, and he sympathises with the Welsh winger.

“I wouldn’t want to be somewhere I wasn’t wanted and if Gareth feels he isn’t getting the love he deserves than maybe it is time he came back.

“I’m sure there are lots of clubs that would love to have him but he’s at the point in his career when he’s not an investment anymore.

“There would be no sell-on value, signing him would be about the here and now.”

The two London clubs go head-to-head at the Baku Olympic Stadium as they seek to end the 2018-19 season with silverware

Chelsea and Arsenal face off at the Baku Olympic Stadium in what is the first all-English Europa League final.

Maurizio Sarri’s side are already guaranteed Champions League football next season, but having finished fifth in this season’s Premier League that is not the case for Arsenal, whose participation hinges on victory on Wednesday.

The Blues finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup while Unai Emery’s Arsenal side have never seriously been in the running for a trophy other than this, which would represent their biggest title since winning the Premier League in 2004.

Which of the London giants will come out on top in Azerbaijan?

Game	Chelsea vs Arsenal
Date	Wednesday, May 29
Time	8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET
Stream (US)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

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TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched on BeINSports and  live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel	Online stream
TNT USA / Univision Deportes / UniMas	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD. It can be streamed on BT Sport Live or from BT Sport’s YouTube channel.

UK TV channel	Online stream
BT Sport 2 / BT Sport 4K UHD	BT Sport Live / BT Sport YouTube

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Squads & Team News

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Position	Chelsea squad
Goalkeepers	Kepa, Caballero, Bulka
Defenders	Alonso, Zappacosta, Cahill, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Emerson, David Luiz
Midfielders	Jorginho, Barkley, Pedro, Ampadu, Moses, Willian, Kovacic, Kante
Forwards	Hazard, Giroud, Higuain

Chelsea were sweating over the fitness of N’Golo Kante until the last minute, but the French midfielder has passed a late fitness test to start the finale in Baku. 

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi had both played significant roles in this competition but miss out due to serious injuries, while Antonio Rudiger is also sidelined for Maurizio Sarri’s side.

Ex-Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud gets the nod ahead of Gonzalo Higuain to start in attack.

Chelsea starting XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Christensen, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard

Position	Arsenal squad
Goalkeepers	Leno, Cech, Iliev
Defenders	Sokratis, Kolasinac, Mustafi, Monreal, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner
Midfielders	Guendouzi, Elneny, Mkhitaryan, Xhaka, Torreira, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Saka, Amaechi, Willock
Forwards	Aubameyang, Ozil, Lacazette, Nketiah, Iwobi, Welbeck

Arsenal largely have a familiar list of concerns to deal with, although midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has not travelled to Azerbaijan due to political reasons, which have left him fearing his safety in the country.

Midfielders Denis Suarez and Aaron Ramsey have both been absent for several weeks, while Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin are long-term headaches in the defence.

Petr Cech has been handed one last start before retiring. Fittingly, the Czech goalkeeper is a former Chelsea player.

Arsenal starting XI: Cech; Koscielny, Sokratis, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil; Lacazette, Aubameyang

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Betting & Match Odds

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Chelsea are favourites to win this match with Bet365, priced 13/10. Arsenal are 12/5 outsiders and a draw is priced at 12/5, too.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Match Preview

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The selection of Baku as the host city for the 2019 Europa League final has generated apparently limitless controversy, but finally Chelsea and Arsenal can focus on football, with kick-off fast approaching.

The remote Azerbaijani city may be an unlikely setting for such an event – it is believed that around half the ticket allocation awarded to the two London clubs had to be sent back as supporters could not find a way to travel – but one side will remember the venue for positive reasons.

A whole season’s worth of work will be distilled into 90 minutes for both clubs, with their perceived success or failure coming down to their performance on Wednesday. Indeed, Blues boss Maurizio Sarri’s job may boil down to this single result, with the Italian hinting on Tuesday that he may leave the post at the end of the season, having been prodded into a frustrated outburst as David Luiz and Gonzalo Higuain clashed in training.

Chelsea’s route to the final has been a relatively simple one. Vidi, BATE and PAOK were easily dispatched in the group stages, while victories followed against Molde, Dynamo Kiev and Slavia Prague in the knockout rounds. Only when faced with Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals were they stretched, overcoming the Germans on penalties after a pair of 1-1 draws in which they twice fell behind.

Arsenal had a rather more testing passage after breezing past Vorskla, Qarabag and Sporting CP in the pools. They trailed against BATE and Rennes after the first away legs, but after beating the French side 3-0 have chalked up five successive wins, claiming notable scalps in the form of Napoli and Valencia en route to the final.

The Gunners, whose last European trophy was the Cup Winners’ Cup of 1994, are led by a Europa League specialist in the form of Unai Emery, who is chasing his fourth title in the competition. Indeed, the Spaniard says the silverware is more important than winning a place back in the Champions League next term.

“There are two targets here but the most important target for us is to win a title,” he said. “The second target is to help us to achieve the Champions League.

“Each title is very important for us, and for Chelsea too. We want to enjoy this moment, for our fans and also for ourselves. Chelsea will have the same idea.”

Their London rivals have enjoyed more recent success in Europe, having won the Champions and Europa Leagues back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

And they are hungry for more success, as David Luiz underlined: “This competition is not about the Champions League. It is about a big trophy – everybody wants to win this competition when they start out in it, and we want a repeat of 2013, with a win.” 

Chelsea’s desire to win the competition has been questioned due to their lack of plans for a victory parade, but there is little doubt that both sets of players want to be holding the trophy up come the end of the night in Baku.

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The former Real Madrid great pledged his teams full cooperation into the probe which saw a former club captain implicated

Brazil legend Ronaldo has welcomed the investigation into match-fixing in La Liga, where he is majority shareholder of Real Valladolid.

Former club captain Borja Fernandez was arrested in the probe, dubbed Operation Oikos, which has seen 10 arrests made surrounding allegations of impropriety in several games during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons in both the Primera and Segunda divisions in Spain.

Those arrested are accused of money-laundering, bribery and corruption, and association with a criminal organisation. The president of Huesca, Agustin Lasaosa is accused alongside Fernandez, who quit the game after failing to make much of an impression with Valladolid in the most recent La Liga season.

Despite his club’s player potentially being implicated in the scandal, Ronaldo said that the team would cooperate with any investigation.

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“[I hope] Borja was not involved at all,” the former Real Madrid great told AS.

“But, in any case, I think it’s good that it’s investigated because we should all want for there to be no corruption.

“Look, I’m from Brazil and over there we’ve got a tremendous amount of corruption. We support the investigation, we’ll do everything to collaborate and we’ll provide all the information we have.”

Despite his willingness to collaborate, and the interviews police conducted on Wednesday with key witnesses, Ronaldo said the club had not yet been contacted.

“Nobody has called us yet,” the 42-year-old continued.

“I haven’t been able to speak to Borja, or anyone. We can’t do anything more than wait for all this to be cleared up.”

The former player, nicknamed ‘O fenomeno’ [The Phenomenon] during a storied career insisted the scandal would not rub the gloss of a fantastic season for Valladolid.

Ronaldo took over as majority shareholder in September 2018 after the team had won promotion back to the Primera Division after a four-year absence.

They were in danger of an immediate return to the second tier all the way until the penultimate round of fixtures.

A 2-1 away win over Rayo Vallecano ensured their survival, eventually finishing 16th.

Ronaldo said the whole city was celebrating their success.

“After everything we’ve gone through this season, we’re still on cloud nine.”

The Portland newcomer joined the two Mexican stars among the best in Major League Soccer for the last round of games

The Portland Timbers put a winning end to their grueling 12-match road stretch to start the 2019 season, and they can thank their newest star signing for those precious three points.

Argentinian forward Brian Fernandez is off to a flying start in MLS, and his first league start showed why the Timbers were so desperate to add him. Fernandez’s two-goal performance helped the Timbers topple the Philadelphia Union, and helped earn the striker a place on Goal’s MLS Best XI for Week 13.

The LA-based Mexican duo of Carlos Vela and Jonathan dos Santos continued to pile up the Best XI selections, each scoring goals in their team’s respective victories. Vela added to his league-leading goals (15) and assists (9) totals while Dos Santos helped the Galaxy overcome the absence of suspended striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to snap their four-match losing slide.

Here is Goal’s   MLS Best XI for Week 13:

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Goalkeeper

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It was a busy week for New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles , who made a combined nine saves to help his team earn four points from two matches despite the absence of star center back Aaron Long. Robles made several acrobatic stops against Vancouver last Wednesday, then denied FC Cincinnati with four stunning stops to post a shutout.

LA Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham would have been the easy Best XI selection most weeks, but earns honorable mention this week after saving a penalty and recording six saves in the Galaxy’s 1-0 win against Orlando City.

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Defenders

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Minnesota United has found a gem in Romain Metanire , with the dynamic right back providing attacking contributions along with solid defending. His well-rounded game was on full display against Houston, as he delivered the winning goal and shut down the left side of the Dynamo attack in Saturday’s 1-0 win.

Colorado central defender Tommy Smith has had a rough season but much like the Rapids, he has begun turning it around. Smith delivered his best match of the season in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Columbus, scoring a goal and providing steady defense.

Vancouver’s Ali Adnan  has made an immediate impact for the Whitecaps since his arrival, and the Iraqi left back flashed his considerable qualities this week during a four-point week for Vancouver. That included a wonder goal in Saturday’s win against FC Dallas.

Honorable mention among defenders goes to the LA Galaxy’s Giancarlo Gonzalez , New York Red Bulls’ Kemar Lawrence , LAFC’s Tristan Blackmon , Seattle’s Kelvin Leerdam  and Portland’s Jorge Villafana .

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Midfielders

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It isn’t a Best XI without a Carlos Vela appearance, and the LAFC star continued his domination of the MLS MVP race with another standout performance, delivering a goal and two assists in Saturday’s 4-2 win versus Montreal.

Real Salt Lake’s Sebastian Saucedo continues to turn it on, earning his second consecutive Best XI selection after scoring a beauty in RSL’s 2-1 win against Atlanta United.

LA Galaxy standout Jonathan dos Santos was back to his all-star ways on Saturday, dominating play in midfield while also contributing a long-distance game-winner to help his team halt its recent slide.

San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza earned his latest Best XI nod for his two-assist effort in San Jose’s big road win against Toronto FC.

There were several quality midfield performances in Week 13, with Honorable Mention nods going to RSL’s Jefferson Savarino , Portland’s Diego Chara and Diego Valeri , LAFC’s Eduard Atuesta and New York Red Bulls’ Kaku .

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Forwards

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Sporting Kansas City’s Johnny Russell had the best individual performance of the week, torching Seattle’s defense for a hat trick, including this amazing dribble and finish in his team’s 3-2 victory on Sunday.

San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski made it two Best XI selections in a row by following up his four-goal masterpiece with an outstanding two-goal outing in San Jose’s win at Toronto FC.

Portland’s Brian Fernandez has taken no time to adapt to MLS, scoring in his debut a week ago and then firing home two goals in his first start, an impressive 3-1 road win against the Philadelphia Union.

LAFC’s Christian Ramirez , NYCFC’s Alexandru Mitrita  and Colorado’s Kei Kamara all earned Honorable Mention nods this week.

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The Reds would not play in Europe for six years after the tragic events in Brussels, which left 39 dead and hundreds more injured

May 29, 1985 is remembered as one of the darkest days of modern football, as that is the date that the Heysel Stadium disaster occurred before Liverpool met Juventus in the final of the European Cup.

There were 39 deaths, including two children, caused by the incident, which took place in Brussels, Belgium, while some 600 people were injured in the event.

Remarkably, the game was played in any event, with Juventus going on to win 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Michel Platini.

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What happened at Heysel?

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The disaster occurred around an hour before kick-off as Liverpool fans broke into a section that was officially neutral but largely occupied by Juventus supporters, many of whom were expats staying in the local area.

Missiles started to be thrown between the supporters, who were standing on terraces separated only by a chain link fence and a poorly policed no-man’s land. This barrage between the sets of fans grew more intense until shortly before the scheduled kick-off time Reds supporters charged through the meagre barrier, causing the Italians to retreat.

With a perimeter wall blocking the exit of the Juventus supporters, the sheer weight of numbers, plus the crumbling nature of the stadium, causing it to collapse. Although this relieved the pressure, the damage had been done, with suffocation and crushing the cause of the majority of the deaths.

Having seen this happen, the Juventus fans in their official section began to riot, got onto the pitch and approached the Englishmen only to be stopped by the police.

Trouble in the stands continued to flare as the match began, delayed by over an hour but maintained as officials feared that there could be greater violence if they abandoned the fixture.

Thirty-two Italians, four Belgians, two French and one Northern Irishman were killed.

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Who was to blame?

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UEFA was emphatic in its assertion that it was Liverpool fans who were the culprits for the events that unfolded.

The organisation’s official observer Gunter Schneider said: “Only the English fans were responsible. Of that there is no doubt.”

An official investigation by the Belgian court system also found that the blame fell squarely on the shoulders of the Englishmen and 14 were ultimately found guilty of manslaughter and jailed.

Eyewitness Ed Vulliamy, writing for the Guardian, stated: “The signs had been there all day, as the British fans got drunk and rowdy on their way to the ground. In fact, they had been there for years: Britain was on patriotic turbo-charge after the election of Margaret Thatcher and war in the Falklands, and no one expressed the mood with greater articulacy than ‘our boys’ supporting football teams in Europe. There had already been serious trouble with Spurs and Manchester United; now it was Liverpool’s turn.”

UEFA, however, should also shoulder a share of the blame by picking a crumbling stadium to hold the event. Fans were able to pick up rocks from the terracing to hurl at each other. Furthermore, their decision to allow a third of the tickets for the Liverpool end to be sold in a ‘neutral’ section was also woefully ill judged.

Albert Roosens, the secretary-general of the Belgian FA, was ultimately charged and was handed a suspended six-month sentence for allowing tickets in the ‘neutral’ section to be sold to Juventus fans, while Major Michel Kensier and Captain Johan Mahieu were charged.

Kensier was aquitted for his role in procedings but Mahieu was handed a nine-month suspended sentence for criminal negligence, the same law the Roosens fell foul of.

Certain sources have stoically maintained the stance that the Liverpool fans were provoked, although this has never been substantiated.

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What happened after Heysel?

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On June 2, 1985, just a matter of days after the event, UEFA banned English clubs from European competition for an indeterminate period, which was extended to a worldwide ban by FIFA, who conceded that friendly matches could be played. The Belgian government, however, prevented English clubs from playing any club matches in the country.

It would be April 1990 before English teams were readmitted into European competition, though Liverpool found themselves suspended for an additional year. The Reds had been provisionally banned for three years longer than their compatriots, so this was something of a minor victory for the Anfield club.

England had been the leading country in terms of UEFA coefficient before the period of the ban but lost all of their points during their time in exile. It would be 2008 before they would again top that particular standing.

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The Mexico international insisted he doesn’t seek to get opponents cautioned and blamed defenders for their physical play

PSV forward Hirving Lozano has hit out at critics who accuse him of diving, saying he doesn’t care what they think of him.

Mexico international Lozano scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in the Eredivisie this season, but was accused of diving against NAC Breda.

He denied trying to trick defenders into getting cautions, instead highlighting the physical nature of play in the Dutch top-flight.

“If people say I do that [diving] or put opponents on a yellow card, I don’t care,” the 23-year-old told Voetbal International.

“I know it isn’t [true] and that’s enough. It makes no sense to talk to me about one mistake, while so many violations are being committed against me. That’s no different here than in Mexico.

“There you have more to do against different defenders,” Lozano continued, stressing that the Eredivisie defenders are “almost all big and strong boys”.

The winger, who joined PSV from Pachuca in July 2017, also denied seeking contact.

He believes his playing style forces defenders to deal with him physically, and that it his opponents fault if they end up conceding fouls that end with them being cautioned.

“The defenders here [in the Netherlands] are the best players in many teams. I try to help my team with my game and the defenders also want to help their team. So they have to stop me.

“If they cannot do that in a normal way, then they’ll do it in another way. With fouls. They run the risk of getting a card.

“All I want to do is keep the ball with me, I do that by using my whole body. That there is sometimes contact is normal. That so many defenders get a yellow card against me, I think that’s enough.

“The defenders in the Netherlands are sometimes too hard in their tackles, they are often late and pull a lot on my shirt,” Lozano contended.

Of players who appeared 30 times in the Eredvisie last season only one player, Thulani Sererro of Vitesse, was fouled as many times per game as Lozano.

Both players suffered an average of 2.3 infractions per appearance in 2018/19.

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