Can Premier League Do Anything About It – Leeds United Star With Specific Complaint
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Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow has urged the Premier League to take action over set-piece officiating, warning that goalkeepers are increasingly being obstructed without punishment, with offenders often escaping fouls.
Darlow has stepped up at Elland Road as the first-choice goalkeeper under Daniel Farke, recording three clean sheets in ten league matches since taking over in January following a string of errors from summer signing Lucas Perri.
Since coming to the fore, he has offered a commanding presence, with one former Leeds star praising the Welsh shot-stopper’s influence, while another noted how he has steadied the Yorkshire side’s goalkeeping concerns.
The 35-year-old played a pivotal role in the latter stages of last season, helping the Whites secure the Championship title.
However, the Premier League has proven a sterner test, particularly at set pieces, and Darlow felt that pressure against Arsenal, conceding four goals in their January meeting, with the second slipping in off his own hand under intense pressure from the Gunners.
Darlow highlighted how defending set pieces has become increasingly problematic for goalkeepers, noting that teams now deploy detailed routines that make it harder to reach the ball.
He reflected on his own experience, explaining that even without an immediate marker behind him, he often ends up impeded by the time he tracks the delivery, underlining a clear shift in how attacking sides target key headers and the goalkeeper.
The 35-year-old added that these concerns warrant attention from officials, suggesting that actions once penalised as fouls are now regularly going unpunished.
The Wales international said on the Official Leeds United Podcast (43:44): “It’s probably been more difficult to get to the ball in terms of corners, who you’ve got on you.
“Don’t get me wrong, there’s always been people on you, but now there’s full-on plans of what each set piece is going to look like.
“So if it’s back post, there might not be someone behind you, but by the time you take a step back and you’re watching the ball, someone’s blocking you, and I think that’s probably the biggest change in terms of how they’ve targeted, obviously key headers of the ball and the goalkeeper.
“I wonder if the Premier League can do anything about it, because I think the way it’s going, it’s almost as if you can do whatever you like, and it’s not being penalised, whereas even years before, you’d get fouls for stuff that’s not being given fouls for.”
In their last four league matches, Leeds have failed to score and have conceded twice, and they will be hoping to arrest that slide in the final seven games of the season.
Farke’s side remain far from safe, languishing in 15th and only four points clear of the drop zone, and will be desperate to spark momentum when they return to Premier League action later this month with a trip to Manchester United.
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