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The Official 2019/2020 Football/Soccer Thread

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Courtois is back at it again! [don’t care it’s positive either]

Speaking to Marca, Courtois told of his multi-lingual ability and how he speaks to Bale in both English and Spanish.

'In the end, I'm an easy person to get along with. I speak four languages (English, Dutch, French and Spanish) and I always studied German at school, so I speak a little bit. And, with so many Brazilian team-mates, I'm learning a bit of Portuguese.

'I like to keep up my English with Gareth, although he speaks better Spanish than people think. He could give an interview in Spanish perfectly well. I speak to him a lot, I also like golf. Gareth does everything to win matches.'

But Courtois feels Bale is an easy target in the media because of his refusal to speak Spanish and love of golf, and says he has every right to continue speaking in English, although caving in to demands would simply make his life easier.

'They always go after him for the same things: golf, the language... I want to see him go out and give an interview in Spanish because he speaks very well in the dressing room with lots of team-mates and he understands it very well.

'But it's his thing if he prefers to speak English, it would only be to stop people saying these things [about his Spanish] and they can see that he's very devoted.'

www.dailymail.co.uk

Thibaut Courtois challenges Gareth Bale to give interview in Spanish

The Welshman has come under fire in Spain for a lack of commitment towards the culture, with reports that he had not made an effort to learn the language and does not bond with the team.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
MARK CLATTENBURG: My five-point plan to improve VAR - remove offsides from the process, define what's 'clear and obvious', allow captains two challenges a match, make must use pitchside monitors and let us ALL hear what they say


1. Remove offside decisions from the VAR process.


Go back to the assistant referee flagging for offside. Yes, mistakes will be made, but I think the five goals that were disallowed over the weekend for marginal offsides - toes and armpits - would all have stood.

And at least this removes the farcical nature of players not knowing if they are offside before scoring a goal.

If you see a flag, you're off. VAR was never introduced to rule out the types of marginal offsides we have seen recently.

2. What is 'clear and obvious'? We need to define that far better.

The consistency of decisions and when to use VAR must be improved. This is difficult, I admit, and it could be that over time we all adapt to what requires VAR intervention, but at the moment I see inconsistencies.

For example, Newcastle's Andy Carroll was shoved in the back in the penalty area against Everton on Saturday.

It's a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch but VAR did not intervene because they deemed it was not a stonewall penalty and so stuck with the on-field decision.

On another day I think this is given as a penalty by VAR - this is why a more definite instruction on 'clear and obvious' is needed. At the moment, though, it feels like there is too much interference.

3. Allow the captains two challenges per match.

For example, Liverpool would not have complained about Wolves' marginal offside goal on Sunday. Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool skipper, actually threw the ball back to halfway. He thought it was a goal and, under the challenge system, it would have stood.

This would put the ownership and responsibility back onto teams. Make it so that they can challenge any decision they see fit, but limit it to two or three per game.

4. Referees must start using pitchside monitors to make their own call on subjective decisions. Otherwise, what are they there for?

Make it so that VAR is not the referee and the final decision rests with the man on the field.

On a similar theme, when I worked for ITV at the World Cup last year, they had 20 people analysing all angles to get us the best images to inform our opinion on decisions.

At Stockley Park there is the VAR and his assistant - how can they possibly see all angles when under pressure to make a quick decision?

I'd put more eyes in there with them.

5. Get the referees wearing live microphones and make the audio available to all inside the stadium and watching at home.

It would increase transparency and understanding and deter dissent.


How about the suggestion of Jamie Redknapp that the line is drawn at the players' feet instead of leaning shoulders? Or Graeme Souness said that if any goal-scoring part of the body is onside?

You cannot do that. You would be complicating the offside law and making it one rule for the Premier League and another for the rest of football.

Would you then coach Premier League players to leave a trailing leg in line with the last defender?

I agree something must be done, however. Football is an entertainment business and that means goals - that is why the benefit always went with the attacker when it came to offside. Not now.

The advantage lies with the defenders and the entertainment and enjoyment of the game is in danger of being severely damaged.

Any final thoughts?

What is being overlooked amid all of this debate is that referees just aren't as good as they used to be.

We have Anthony Taylor on the verge of going to Euro 2020 but you can see he is refereeing with a weight on his shoulders and is making mistakes.

He disallowed Mane's goal versus Wolves only for it to be overruled and also failed to see Spurs goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga's karate kick on Chelsea's Marcos Alonso last week.

It looks to me as if he's guessing at decisions. Continue to do this and players will see through you very quickly.

So while VAR needs change, it is also doing a very good job at reversing some decisions that would have caused major controversy - and that is why it was introduced in the first place.

www.dailymail.co.uk

MARK CLATTENBURG: My 5-point plan to improve VAR

An online petition to remove VAR from the Premier League has emerged and you can be sure a fair few managers, players and pundits would be willing to add their names.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
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