Here we are, yet again, talking about VAR and its impact on games.
We had another example of “was that really offside†in Tottenham’s loss to Leicester City. This time it probably cost Spurs some points, seeing a goal by Serge Aurier disallowed after a marginal offside call against Heung-Min Son.
Just how marginal was it? Take a look for yourself.
Yes, Son’s shoulder was mere millimeters ahead of Jonny Evans’ knee. The finest of margins in a game played at such high speed. No wonder the linesman missed it.
But, here’s the thing: It was right to disallow the goal.
While many argue that VAR has gone too far and that there should be that margin of error in decisions, at what point would you draw the line? Offside is offside, by a millimeter or by a yard.
The FA decided before the season that there would be no tolerance level for offside calls with VAR, so this decision is right by the letter of the law.
What VAR is doing is taking out any argument over the so-called spirit of the law. But that’s the thing about using technology in situations previously decided by humans: Computers don’t factor in spirit. It’s either black or white, no shades of grey.
So while you may not like it, VAR is here to stay and will continue to rule without any margin of error.
And when it’s your favourite club that benefits from the millimeter-thin ruling, we think you’ll be singing a different tune.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
We could easily put Manchester City’s entire squad in this spot after burying Watford with weekend, but that’s against our rules. So to single out one of the top performers from the Sky Blues, we’ll take Bernardo Silva.
The Portuguese winger, who is not normally known for his scoring ability, netted a hat trick in the demolition and was the only player to score more than once.
We should also point out the Kevin De Bruyne had a goal and two assists while also putting in 77 minutes midweek against Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine before being subbed off for Silva.
Not too bad of a week for City after last week’s shock upset in Norwich.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
City fell just short of the Premier League record for biggest win in its 8-0 blowout. The mark still stands as Manchester United’s 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town in 1995 … Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is consistent as they come. Over the past six seasons, he hasn’t had a scoring drought of more than three games. Pretty remarkable when you consider that he has switched teams and has seen his fair share of players go down around him. With six goals in six games this season, he’ll be in contention to repeat as a golden boot winner … Just what the hell was Sokratis doing, besides making a mockery of the game? Headbutting your own hand and feigning injury while holding onto an opponent? What a disgusting act … The 26 defenders that have played against Man City so far this season have combined for 0 fantasy points … Arsenal has faced the most shots of any team in the top five leagues in Europe so far this season … Chris Wood bagged the brace for Burnley, which is great timing for the Clarets after Ashley Barnes cooled off following a hot start.
TEAM OF THE YAWN
FIFA announced its team of the year awards this week and, while most of the selections were deserving, there were a couple that were stuck in the past.
How in the world does Real Madrid, a club that finished a distant third in La Liga and didn’t even make the Champions League quarterfinals, have the most players in the award-winning squad?
Meanwhile, Manchester City, Champions League semifinalist and winner of the Premier League, have no players in the named XI!
Sergio Ramos is a borderline pick by FIFA while Marcelo is a flat-out head-scratching selection. They should be replaced by Aymeric Laporte from City and Andrew Robertson from Liverpool.
Luka Modric was the 2018 player of the year and certainly deserved that pick, but shouldn’t have made the team this year. In midfield, it should’ve been impossible to omit Bernardo Silva, whose importance to City all over the pitch was immense during its title run.
The voters for these awards have been biased towards the Spanish giants in the past, but this was just plain silly.
THE LAST WORD
It looks like we were wrong about seeing those top clubs bounce back after the international break.
After Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea all scored wins last week, each fell this time out. That leaves the three teams with identical 2-2-2 records and even on eight points and a whole 10 points back of Liverpool on top of the table.
As we brought up before the break, each of these teams have issues, it’s just the level of concern that differs.
The team we’re thinking is the best off right now might actually surprise you: It’s Chelsea.
As we wrote about last week, Frank Lampard’s academy kids are growing and showing progress. There are plenty of good takeaways from their loss to the Reds, one that was another VAR heartbreaker. If it wasn’t for the swing that happened in mere minutes – going from tying the game up 1-1, to down 2-0 after VAR ruled Mason Mount offside in the build up to Cesar Azpilicueta’s goal and Roberto Firmino scored a header – the game could’ve played out much differently.
Spurs, as mentioned above, have their own quibbles with VAR. They also had a tough matchup on the road at Leicester and were missing captain Hugo Lloris between the sticks. We’ll be more concerned if Tottenham drops points in its next three matchups against a trio of struggling teams.
But, as for United, now there’s a team to worry about.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly blasted the team in the locker room for “letting the club†down following a 2-0 loss against West Ham. Is the former Red Devils player really as suited for this job as we initially thought?
His side’s run of form has been atrocious after the “new-manager boost†last season and the rough patch has certainly carried over. The attack is stagnant, having created fewer chances from open play than only two teams, Aston Villa and Watford – two of the three teams in the relegation zone.
Defensively, it’s simple just OK, but certainly not living up to the expectations of a team that splashed the cash for two marquee defenders over the summer.
How long will it be before we start getting “Ole out†chants, if they haven’t already started?