De Zerbi Turns on His Players After Bogle Escapes Red at Leeds

• Roberto De Zerbi told his Tottenham players they showed no character, personality or courage in a 1-0 defeat at Leeds that ended a run of three straight wins.
• Tottenham will submit a formal complaint to refereeing body Pro Ref over the decision not to send off Jayden Bogle, per BBC Sport.
• Bogle, 26, escaped even a booking for a first-half challenge on Mathys Tel after a four-minute VAR review.

The Coach Who Would Not Blame the Referee

Roberto De Zerbi had a ready-made excuse at Elland Road and left it alone. After Leeds beat Tottenham 1-0 on Saturday, he pointed at his own squad. “If you are not honest today the future is not good. If we analyse our second-half behaviour honestly then I think we can become a top team. We have the physicality and the quality but it’s not just about the physicality game. We didn’t show character, personality or courage.”

Noah Okafor scored the only goal in the 79th minute. It halted a revival that had brought wins over Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, a run De Zerbi tied to an honest team meeting. The defeat left Spurs 10th. De Zerbi then listed what went wrong. He said: “In the second half, I don’t know why, we suffered too much and deserved to lose.”

He went on: “We won no duels, no one-to-ones. There was space to play and we didn’t take the right decisions. We didn’t show personality or what we are, who we are. It’s a part of the journey. It’s not an excuse and it can be normal in football but we have to be honest.”

He also said: “I was surprised by the second half as my players worked very well this week. We spoke all week about the intensity and the type of game we would find here in this stadium so it was not a surprise for us.”

To TNT Sports he said: “We deserved to lose the game in the second half and didn’t play like we can,” and then: “It’s a journey for us because we can learn from this game.” He added: “I am sorry for the performance in the second half – we didn’t play like a top team. We didn’t have the right character and physicality in the second half.”

The Tackle Behind the Complaint

Bogle, a Leeds right-back, caught Tel on the back of the ankle with his studs. The foul was given, but referee John Brooks showed no card, and Tel was unable to continue. He was substituted before half-time.

The VAR check that followed lasted four minutes. Brooks never walked to the pitchside monitor, so the whole review was carried out by the officials in the VAR hub at Stockley Park. Tony Harrington then told Brooks: “I’m confirming the on-field decision of no red card. There’s a lack of speed going into the challenge and he’s stepping into the tackle. Confirming a reckless challenge.”

A reckless challenge is a yellow card, but the VAR cannot advise a booking, and Brooks had not cautioned Bogle, so the defender walked away with nothing.

What the Pundits Made of It

Darren Cann, a former Premier League assistant referee, said: “Bogle’s challenge meets the criteria for serious foul play as he endangers the safety of an opponent,” and added: “He can consider himself lucky to still be on the pitch.”

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean called it “100 per cent a red” and said: “He has caught him right down the back of the Achilles. It is not a good tackle at all. I would be astounded if John Brooks is not sent to the screen.”

“They’ve said no red card, and this will create debate,” said former Spurs midfielder Michael Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The comparison is Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was sent off last Saturday for a similar challenge on Micky van de Ven in Spurs’ win. Mateta is serving a three-match suspension after the FA rejected Palace’s appeal. The gap between the two incidents comes down to the type of challenge: Mateta made a lunging, stretching tackle with studs leading, the kind generally seen as carrying more force and danger.

What De Zerbi Said About the Officials

Early in the second half, Pedro Porro and De Zerbi were booked at the same moment after a challenge by Porro on Nmecha. De Zerbi told Match of the Day: “I was surprised on the yellow card for Pedro Porro because it was clear,” and then: “The potential red card, I couldn’t say.”

He questioned referees’ composure after a draw with Leeds earlier this year too. On Brooks he said: “I was surprised because in the same position in the second half there were two different fouls, the yellow card for Pedro Porro is not possible. I don’t know if it is a red card or not on Mathys Tel but the parameter of the referee was not good enough for this in both situations.”

Asked whether he wanted Brooks to visit the monitor, he said: “No, I have big confidence in the referee. Nothing changes if he goes to watch the clip or not.” He followed with: “There was the VAR, and if they didn’t take the right decision, I don’t know, but we have confidence.” And: “We have to keep our eyes on the performance where we can improve.”

He told Match of the Day: “We have full confidence in the referee and VAR. I cannot say nothing more.”

Where Spurs Go From Here

Tel will undergo scans. The Key Match Incidents Panel will review the decision in the coming days.

De Zerbi wants consistency from his squad and has called finding the right mentality Tottenham’s biggest challenge. He does not think they are ready to sustain it yet.

“My players have the ability to come here, play better and maybe win. But maybe we are not ready yet to be consistent for many games in a row. We know where we have to work and improve.”