Football’s set-piece obsession is allowing the game to become more like ‘wrestling’, according to Everton boss David Moyes, who says referees must get a grip of the ‘dark arts’.
The Toffees were criticised on Monday for packing the Manchester United six-yard box with multiple players standing on the toes of goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 1-0 defeat.
But Moyes said: ‘Truthfully, it wasn’t the plan for our corner kicks to end up like that. I don’t think there’s any problem in trying to get something but it wasn’t really what we wanted at all and it was very difficult to get the message on.
‘But there’s a bigger issue with it. It has been allowed to let go, whether it be blocking of goalkeepers or blocking of defenders, and you get the feeling now that referees really don’t want to get involved in any of it.
‘It is nearly wrestling to an extent, which it shouldn’t be. It should never have gone to this situation but I think it’s been really poor that they’ve not tried to deal with it well enough and stop it.
‘You are now allowed lots of blocking, for example. In my day if you blocked someone it would have been a free-kick. But blocking has become a big part of it. Let’s be fair, the best at it – but with style – would be Arsenal.
Everton manager David Moyes has compared football’s set piece obsession to ‘wrestling’
The Toffees were criticised for their approach to corners against Manchester United this week
‘(They have a) good delivery, good style but ultimately there’s a lot of dark arts in it such as blocking the goalkeeper from the back or the front, blocking defenders and making it difficult for them to be your key headers of the ball.
‘It is a big thing in football but I do think the level of refereeing has let that part of the game drop. And managers, if we see somebody else doing it and not getting punished for it, then we are all on it.’
