Episode 185 - We Need to Talk About the Referees

City and Arsenal both benefit from big calls this weekend. Is there a referee conspiracy, or are we just all going mad? Ted and Patrick break down a controversial refereeing weekend, dig into whether the set piece problem can actually be fixed, and ask why Premier League coaches are so terrified of open play. Then: Man United's unlikely season, Chelsea's coaching crisis, Real Madrid's dressing room disaster, and Bayern's interest in Anthony Gordon. Enjoy! Tickets for The Transfer Flow Conference (May 22, London) are available for just £10: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981005227964 Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTransferFlow Subscribe to our FREE newsletter: https://www.thetransferflow.com/subscribe Join Variance Betting: https://www.thetransferflow.com/upgrade Follow us on our Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1WTKOt7byrELQcGRSzu1Q X: https://x.com/TheTransferFlow Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetransferflow.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetransferflow/ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:31 Title race update, Arsenal close in 02:34 Was the City refereeing scandalous? 04:52 Do refs have unconscious bias toward big clubs? 07:21 Arsenal's VAR moment, right call, wrong vibes 09:12 Why every manager copies set pieces while complaining about them 10:18 How do you actually fix the set piece problem? 13:53 The wrestling in the box no one wants to legislate 15:24 What is the actual goal of changing the rules? 17:06 VAR, meat walls, and boring football, three problems rolled into one 20:28 Smarter people will always find the loopholes 21:13 Why Premier League coaches are more risk-averse than anyone else 23:28 City review, Doku is unplayable when fit 24:09 Arsenal review, Odegaard changes everything when he comes on 27:27 Is the title actually over? 29:24 Liverpool vs Chelsea was unwatchable 30:08 Man United's strange season, good results, bad numbers 32:05 Should United keep Carrick? 34:48 Chelsea in crisis, fire Slot? Who replaces him? 39:05 Real Madrid chaos, Mbappe, Valverde, and a dressing room on fire 40:27 Where does Mbappe even go? 41:54 Why Real Madrid's problem can't be solved with transfers 43:47 The "oops all dickheads" policy explained 45:24 Bayern Munich want Anthony Gordon, Farmer's League? 47:46 Harry Kane is somehow the most dominant striker in Europe right now 49:23 The referee discourse is making people crazy online #arsenal #premierleague #mancity #realmadrid #arsenalfc #manchestercity #manchesterunited #chelsea #bayernmunich #football #soccer #epl #fyp #foryou Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices