'I don't think' - Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola delivers surprising verdict on Aston Villa controversy
Andoni Iraola surprised reporters with a response to an Aston Villa question.
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has admitted he believes Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey shouldn’t have been sent off during his side’s 1-0 defeat on Saturday evening.
In a rare instance of a manager standing up for an opponent, Iraola sided with Villa, agreeing that Ramsey didn’t deserve to be given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. The decision didn’t have a direct impact on the result as Villa held on for a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Ollie Watkins’ first-half goal, but the visitors being reduced to 10 men certainly upped the tension at the Vitality Stadium.
Ramsey received his first yellow card for squaring up to Adam Smith after being fouled, a fair enough decision as he acted out of hand. But the second booking, in the 80th minute, wasn’t so straightforward as Ramsey was penalised for dragging down David Brooks and stopping a counter-attack. Such an act can often be worthy of a booking, but the pull of the shirt was so slight, and Brooks was in his own half and unlikely to get anywhere in a hurry with other Villa players covering.
You could argue that Ramsey shouldn’t have made any contact if his teammates were waiting in the wings to dispossess Brooks, but the tug was very much in the spur of the moment and hardly cynical. Referee Stuart Attwell felt the foul was worthy of a yellow card, however, and, unfortunately for Ramsey and Villa, it was his second of the game.
Iraola, marching instructions on the touchline just moments before Ramsey saw red, had a great view of the incident. The Bournemouth boss felt it was a harsh decision. “He was close to me and I don't think Jacob Ramsey's was a second yellow,” Iraola admitted during a post-match interview.
Opposite number Unai Emery isn’t one to criticise officials, but even he expressed his discontent. "I like the English referees. Overall they perform well, but two yellow cards, maybe it is not fair for him,” the Villa head coach said.
Regardless of whether the decision was correct, Ramsey will now pay the consequences for his red card as he is now suspended for Villa’s vital upcoming clash with Tottenham Hotspur. As clubs cannot appeal second yellows, there’s no scope for the ban to be rescinded.
Ramsey will return for the final game of the season, away at Manchester United on April 25. Emery will be hoping to have midfielder Youri Tielemans available for the trip to Old Trafford, too, but the Belgium international faces a race against time to recover from a muscular injury.
Meanwhile, versatile attacker Marcus Rashford won’t be able to play against Man Utd as he’s ineligible to face his parent club. Watkins, who netted his 75th Villa goal against Bournemouth to become the club’s all-time record Premier League goalscorer, will no doubt continue to lead the line in Rashford’s absence.