Another view on VAR

 I recently watched Everton-Liverpool in the Premier League. In the dying seconds of the match, with the score 2-2, Liverpool scored a goal that would give them the victory in a well-played match. After celebrations and comments, the referee cancelled the goal, based on a VAR decision that Sadio Mane (who made the pass for the goal by Jordan Henderson) was in an off-side position.

In the reviews they showed on TV it was incredibly difficult to see that Sadio Mane was anything but in line with the defenders, and it appears impossible to refute or agree that one part of his body was a few millimeters ahead any of the defenders. In real life it will have been impossible for a referee or linesman to see, and I doubt any Everton players would have complained for a goal given; nobody would have reviewed the goal!

Maybe it was off side. But that is in my view not the point of the VAR. It is to review when the referee "has made a clear and obvious error". When the VAR referees sit in their little room and want to review errors that are not "clear and obvious", they are not adding value to the quality or justice of the game, but rather contributing just another layer to controversial decisions. 

I am not against VAR. But it should be used with a caution that the people who make decisions do not seem to understand. The point is not to make football error-proof, because it never will be, but rather to reduce the worst and most controversial decisions: a clear off-side goal; a clear hand-goal; doubt on crossing the line. 

Besides this, there is a problem in who decides: the entire decision process of the VAR should be entirely in the hands of the referee that is no the pitch. He or she should alone decide whether to ask for a VAR review and should be alone making a decision based on VAR for those situation that he or she considers difficult, and an off-side situation it should happen in consultation with the linesman. The VAR referees should not be able to decide after the fact.

I know this will return pressure on the referee; the same pressure that there was before the the advent of VAR. But VAR should be a tool for the referee; just like his or her cards, the whistle or the linesmen, but if it is not a tool, it becomes just another layer of football bureaucracy to the detriment of what is best for the game.

Manchester City-Everton

After an all night flight from Monrovia via Brussels I was not too tired to go to watch Manchester City-everton at the absolutely beautiful Etihad stadium in Manchester. The home team won 1-0 on a penalty goal by Yaya Toure. Sergio Aguero got injured and both Joe Hart and Tim Howard had amazing saves.

But for me the best was to experience two great teams in the best league in the world.

The first step

Manchester City took the first step to the 2014 Premier League title with a 2-3 away victory to Everton. It was an exciting match where Sergio Aguero equalised for Man City after Ross Barkley brought Everton ahead on a splendid goal (Barkley may not have gotten the message that Everton should lose, since he played a great match).
Edin Dzeko did not win many friends when taking out time and complaining for no reason, but can still be credited for the remaining two goals for Man City, while Romelu Lukaku scored for Everton. Perhaps we should get used to it: Edin Dzeko's tears may be the only thing Bosnia-Herzegovina has to offer in the World Cup.
But it was a big step, being he most difficult match left for Man City, who are only two matches away from the title.
Pressure!

Three great (potential) champions

It was not pretty, but it was efficient when a more intelligent Chelsea beat the hopeful Liverpool at Anfield 2-0 yesterday.
Of all the people  Stephen Gerrard may become the most unlikely anti-hero if Liverpool ends up not winning the championship. It was just a little lack of concentration that can happen to anyone, and happens to great players all the time, but this time it proved fatal when Demba Ba was as cool and firm as an iceberg to score after Gerrard's mishap.
Although Willian made it 0-2 at the end of the match, it was Ba's goal that really gave the victory to Chelsea despite Liverpool trying and trying in vain to get through Jose Mourinho's defensive genius.
The Premier League title is now open, with Chelsea nevertheless the most unlikely champion: although they are not unlikely to win their last two matches against Norwich and Cardiff respectively, they have to hope that both Liverpool and Manchester City slip.
Liverpool has two matches left against Crystal Palace away and Newcastle at home. They must win both matches, and if they don't, they have to hope that both Chelsea and Manchester City will slip. But even winning both matches, the title is not guaranteed.
Manchester City is the one that does not immediately depend on any other results: with three matches left they can win the title with three straight victories. However, the task will not immediately be easy; on Saturday they play Everton away. The arch-rivals of Liverpool may be tempted to play softly for the title not to go to the Reds, but the problem is that Everton is also vying for its meager hope of overtaking Arsenal on fourth place to secure a place in next season's Champions League qualifiers.
It will be ironic if Everton ends up giving the title to Liverpool....
In case of victory against Everton, Manchester City will have to defeat Aston Villa and West Ham at home to take the title.

All three of these great sides deserves to win the title (yes, although Jose Mourinho may seem unlikeable to many, he continues to be the world's best manager, and in the unlikely event that his team wins the title, it will be because they deserve it), but two will end in tears. It will be another fantastic and dramatic ending to the Premier League!

Opening the 2013-14 Premier League season

This weekend the best league in the world is finally starting! And it will surely be an interesting season with all the new signings and deals. One of the most interesting aspect, more than the eternal rumours of high-level transfers, are the many new high-level managers in Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. And personally, I believe the winner of the league will be among one of these three.
Manchester City is perhaps my favourite to win the championship. With Manuel Pellegrini they will have one of the best managers in the world, and hopefully he can create harmony in a team with stars such as Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Samir Nasri, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko. On top of it, the team has just bought the fashionable Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo, so they will at least be one of the most interesting sides to follow.
Chelsea will also be a title contender, and what most people will be watching is surely Jose Mourinho's return to his old club. Hated and loved, he is surely one of the most controversial figures in football, and expectations will be high. The team has not changed that much since he was there, except for the notable absence of Didier Drogba. But perhaps Mourinho is the man to get the best out of Fernando Torres, Oscar and Eden Hazard.
Manchester United is starting a new era with David Moyes as manager. He will undoubtedly face pressure in the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson, who said goodbye to the job with the title. While surely still a strong team, they have vainly been looking for reinforcements this summer.  Much will rely on some of their current stars such as Robbie van Persie and Antonio Valencia, while the rumours about Wayne Rooney's possible exit only seem to give the side instability.
Arsenal will not win the title. Under Arsene Wenger they continue to be one of the most interesting sides to see young super talents play at the highest level, but the fans, eager for a title, seem exasperated at not having a major signing. For me, this just shows how little appreciation Arsenal fans have for a side that even with a major signing, would not be likely to take the title.
Tottenham is surely one of the most interesting sides. Having finished fifth last season the club has ambition for more, and have made two big signings with Roberto Soldado, coming from Valencia, and the super-talented Paulinho, who caught the attention of Europe after the Confederations Cup, but who had been brilliant for Corinthians for a couple of seasons already. It seems unlikely that they will be able to keep Gareth Bale, who is likely to join Real Madrid, but they are surely a team to watch nevertheless.
Everton will also be starting the season with a new coach, Roberto Martinez, after David Moyes signing for Manchester United. They have not made major signings until now, but rumours say that Marouane Fellaini may be on his way to Manchester United. Like their neighbours Liverpool FC, Everton is unlikely to make much headway this season.
Liverpool are fallen giants, and most news from the club have been about the Luis Suarez soap opera. Really, they should just let the clown go... In the meantime, the club has tried to reinforce themselves with Aly Cissokho from Valencia, and are in the bid to get the Brazilian Willian, from Shakhtar Donetsk.
There are other teams that will surely be interesting to watch and who can play against any opponent (this is what makes it the best league in the world!): Swansea under Michael Laudrup  has ambition for more having been able to retain Michu. Sunderland under Paolo Di Canio has been upgrading its side with the signing of Josy Altidore, while West Bromwich Albion has gotten veterans such as Diego Lugano and Nicolas Anelka.
Be sure there is a great season ahead of us!

FA Cup final in Nyborg

You know when you are a football fanatic when you go out of your way to find a place to watch football. As my parents' house in the Danish town of Nyborg is absolute chaos these days because of major re-furbishing, there was nowhere to watch the FA Cup final between Everton and Chelsea. After some great matches, I had decided not to watch it, but instead listen to it in the radio, but as the game approached I became more and more eager to watch it, and just 10 minutes before the match was to start, I decided to go find a place in the town to watch it.
Fortunately the weather was beautiful as I walked firmly, and found one of the main cafés' in town, Café Anton, showing the match in a small screen. I missed Louis Saha's early lead for Everton, but managed to catch Didier Drogba's equalizer and Frank Lampard's excellent second-half winning strike.
Chelsea has thus salvaged something this season by winning the FA Cup title, and that is better than Liverpool or Arsenal. Guus Hiddink has been a great coach, and will be seriously missed at Chelsea as he continues his career with the Russian national team.

But me, I guess I always find somewhere to watch the FA Cup Final...

Football and swine flu

The panic that is gripping the world as we face a global swine-flu pandemic has hit football! (I guess we cannot remain an island from the rest of society, as much as all football fans would love to).
In a match in the Copa Libertadores between the Mexican side Chivas and the Chilean side Everton, a Mexican player snotted and spit on on a Chilean player, while saying he would pass him the swine-flu (check it out: http://www.marca.com/2009/05/01/futbol/futbol_internacional/1241159445.html - it is really disgusting)

Don't you just miss the days when players would just get into a good old fight...?