On October 19th, Ipswich lost 0-2 to Everton at home in the 8th round of the English Premier League. After the match, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, in an interview, questioned the penalty kicks awarded in the match and expressed his concern about his team's recent performance.
McKenna started by admitting that it was a bad day for Ipswich. He said that the first half of the game was fairly balanced, but that the situation facing his team in the second half was getting worse and worse for them. McKenna pointed out that the first goal conceded was a team error, while he was surprised that the penalty decision was overturned.
As McKenna recalls it, Ipswich's Jack Clarke was turning in the box to shoot and Everton's McNeil interfered with Clarke's shooting action by stretching out his leg to block the line of the ball. Although McNeil did kick Clarke, McKenna argued that this could not be done when someone was preparing to shoot and that it should have been a clear penalty. However, the video assistant referee advised referee Michael Oliver to have a look back, only for Oliver to change his mind after seeing it and cancel the penalty award.
McKenna expressed his dismay that the penalty should have been confirmed on the basis of VAR's "clear and obvious" criteria for awarding a penalty. He emphasized that it was a very controversial decision and from everything he had heard, VAR should not have overturned it. McKenna also said he was sure Everton manager Dyche would have a different view, but personally he could not see how the decision was "clear and obvious".
In addition to the penalty kick call, McKenna was also critical of his team's performance in defending corner kicks. He believes that the team did not do a good enough job in defending the corners, which is one of the reasons why they conceded the goal. McKenna said that the team needs to review and improve their performance in defending corners to avoid a similar situation from happening again.
Speaking about the team's overall performance, McKenna said they knew this season would be challenging. He admitted that promotion to the Premier League was a huge challenge for the team and out of the eight games played, they have achieved four draws. McKenna said that there is still a lot of improvement to be made by the team and that they have to capitalize on the fine margins between them and their opponents. In particular, he mentioned that the team has failed to take control in the last two matches and this is something they need to focus on and address.
In addition, McKenna questioned the VAR's call. He said that the last few VAR calls have gone against Ipswich and today's call was strange to him. He believes that VAR's calls should be more fair and accurate to avoid similar controversies from happening again.
Despite the loss and the controversial penalty, McKenna remains confident in the team's future. He said the team will review and improve their shortcomings and try to achieve better results in future matches. At the same time, he also hopes that VAR's penalties will be more fair and accurate, providing a guarantee for the fairness of the game.
