New application of laws happening. NEW player got a yellow for suggesting via hand signal that an opponent should get a yellow. Yeah, don’t do that anymore. Respect the game and the ref.
Kane deal getting unfavourable reaction from German media.
So, 538 has no more Sports Section? No more projections of seasons? Where do I find a suitable replacement?
Heck, Nate Silver, the founder, is no longer on the site.
Looks correct.
How you doing, any flooding?
No flooding at all. It was gentle rain off and on for close to 3 days. Ultimately a little more than an inch but not the heavy downpour and wind from a couple weeks ago where the runoff was substantial. This was a nice rain.
This past weekend in the EPL was good. Diaz looks really strong for Liverpool. ManU looks like they are missing a 9. Caciedo spurns Liverpool, comes in gives away the ball in box first and next touch is a penalty. BHA has banked so much money and still has an abundance of attacking talent. Curious if they can sustain once they start playing games in Europe or if they would deploy some of that money in January.
Interesting discussion with retired players. Could have put in the MLS thread, but that is too mean (no, I’m OK, why do you ask?).
Note: I think this happens with all top-level athletes. It’s their life. Will I be lost after I retire from a 30-year career? Well, maybe because of age, but not because of loss of purpose.
“I no longer want to compete for real championships. I’d rather be a highly paid slave.”
— every euro player in Saudi league
Was very impressed yesterday that Fulham scored a late 10 man goal to tie Arsenal on the road. And then Liverpool scores two late 10 man goals today to beat Newcastle on the road!
The Liverpool goals were awesome. VVD needed a yellow versus a red and the first yellow on AA was light. He might have deserved the second which wasn’t called. No yellows on Newcastle in first half despite some aggressiveness. Like the extra time, not sure about the quick cards.
Was expecting a big year from Nunez. He had many great opportunities last year and didn’t finish but he always had. Did so in summer. Then didn’t start or play much. He is better than Gapko and Jota. Needs to start. Thought the sub of the kid for Matip was strange but it worked. So happy today.
The Athletic (sports news site owned/affiliated with the NYT) has an article up on Kenilworth Road, Luton Town’s home stadium (I could access the article by clearing the nagwall; dunno about non-NYT subscribers):
Nice saves by Pickford at the end after his no-look Own-Goal.
I don’t quite understand why the color guy thinks that the game ends when the added time has elapsed. That EVE player that got popped in the head took a good 2 minutes, AFTER that time was announced, to get off the pitch. Did he not remember that happening? (Probably a former player who got popped in the head too many times IMO.)
Definitely liking the way Reds coming together. Nunez, Diaz and Mo in synch and MF so much better without Thiago. Bench is strong and Newcastle and Chelsea road games behind. AV will some top teams fits.
So, about Mo…
That is a shit-ton of money LIV are turning down. While we would love to have our heroes play forever, they will stop playing someday.
Does Mo want to go, though? He’d probably be paid a lot more in order to agree with the move. Bloody bloody money.
According to various internet pundits, MCI’s second goal should have been reversed. After I read about the ado, I went back to watch the half-time and full-time in-studio shows. Nothing was noted about the call that I could find. Normally, the former players are in complete uproar over referee’s “incorrect” decisions.
I watched, and I think ref got it right. Player did not impede the goalkeeper. The two were quite far away from each other. Jumping out of the way of a ball is NOT attempting to play nor playing the ball.
Googling again, I’m getting flights from KC to Varna. I think I need to be more specific.
Though replays showed that Manuel Akanji, who was almost a couple of yards offside, was standing in the German goalkeeper’s eyeline.
No, he wasn’t. If he were, then the goalkeeper would have been in line with the ball’s direction, and easy save.
Akanki didn’t make contact with the ball - as he knew himself he was offside - but instead dummied it.
Not “offside.” “In an offside position.” Yes, there is a difference, in detail in the LOTG.
This delayed Leno’s reaction in attempting to save the header, and despite the incident going to VAR, the goal was allowed to stand.
Well, it shouldn’t have.
Also, not sure about that website and its expertise in soccer/football, but I read this and I don’t think they know what “booked” means.
His animated antics earned him a yellow card, and he was fortunate not to have been booked in Saturday’s clash away at the Etihad
Um, “yellow card” = “booked”
More, because we need fans to determine Offside for us:
Needless to say, the decision to allow the goal to stand sent social media wild as fans online made their feelings known.
One X user wrote: “He stands right in front of the GK blocking the view + he makes a jump and a leg move when the ball gets to him, so of course that was offside.”
A second wrote: “He’s in front of the goalie. It’s an Offside.”
A third added: “It is as clear as daylight! He moves his leg to catch the ball, which affects Leno’s decision! Again referees spoiling the beautiful game!”
A fourth fumed: “Worst call this season. Clear offside, by every metric.”
An Arsenal supporter commented: “Clear offside. If it’s in the Emirates, would have been offside without VAR check and Arteta would’ve been booked.”
Did VAR make the right call? Let us know what you think.
Again, he moved his leg to get away from the ball. That is not attempting to play the ball. That is attempting to NOT play the ball. And succeeding.
I would have been ok if they sold. I think Diaz is special and Nunez will score a ton. He got a little unlucky with the posts but he’s no Timo. They could buy a 35-50m winger and a 50m CB with the money. Mo is still great but doesn’t fly past defenders anymore. If they are out of title race in Jan, he will be sold for slightly less. Still think they get 100m next summer and they sell.
I’m convinced it was offside but I guess I may be missing something. My take is offside is called based on the position of players when the last person plays the ball legitimately regardless of whether the ‘offside’ player plays the ball or not. I am not sure why this is different from other usual calls. When the ball was played he was in an offside position and that is enough. That his actions influenced play makes it even more egregious. What am I missing here?