Time-wasting crackdown

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Head Start

60-year goal-scoring high

Goals are like the Eiffel Tower - it’s what you go to Paris to see but you end up staying for everything else.

And it looks like the English top flight is getting back to its best when it comes to its main attraction - goals.

In fact, new data shows that the Premier League is picking up where the 1950s left off as goals per game are sharply rising again…

Here’s why some decades have had more goals than others:

• 1920s saw a dramatic goal spike as offsides loosened, reducing the number of opposing players required to be in front from 3 to 2 players.

• 1950s saw the introduction of substitutions (I know, crazy right).

• 1980s saw an increase in points awarded for a win.

So, what about this season? Well, it is difficult to say exactly what’s causing the goal spike as there are a lot of factors that influence goals.

But here are two theories:

1/ Inequality between teams

I mean, Sheffield United have conceded around 2.7 goals per game while Arsenal score 2.4 this season.

It could also be inequality in… Tactics? Money? Technology? Likely a mixture of all three.

2/ More football 

Goals in stoppage time are through the roof as games are longer.

Before Gameweek 33, 125 goals had been scored in stoppage, smashing the figure for the whole of last season (84). 

Either way… keep ‘em coming.

About last night…

Manchester City 1 - 1 Real Madrid | (4-4 agg) | (Penalties 3-4) 

Only football can produce this storyline. Just take a look at the stats of the losing side.

• 68% possession (probably much higher).

• 18 corners compared to 1.

• 9 shots on target compared to 3.

But it’s what Real Madrid do. And we can’t pretend like we’re surprised when it happens.

It looked like the tide was changing - especially when Jérémy Doku was subbed on in the 72’ - but Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic’s poor penalties shaped the shoot-out.

But, City fans, don’t worry… Rodri’s 67-game unbeaten streak technically remains. That’s a positive, right?

Right?

Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Arsenal | (3 - 2 agg)

Anyway, on to the next game… and it has been a tough week for Arsenal fans, so we’ll keep this one brief…

• Bayern have eliminated the Gunners in the Champions League for the fifth time…

• … and the German giants have reached their 13th Champions League semi-final (only Real Madrid have more).

It was a Joshua Kimmich power header in the second half that made the difference.

Well… it was fun while it lasted.

Up next: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid & Borussia Dortmund vs PSG.

Plus…

Ange Postecoglou dismisses Eric Dier’s claims that Spurs don’t carry out tactical work during training (More)

Nottingham Forest have increased season ticket prices by an average of 24% for the upcoming season (More)

Europa League QF 2nd Leg

West Ham (0) vs (2) Bayer Leverkusen

→ Not all hope is lost for West Ham as they’ve won three of their last four home games against German opposition.

→ Bayer Leverkusen have only won one of their 10 away games against English sides in all competitions, though that win came in their last visit to the capital against Spurs in 2016 (1-0).

→ The Hammers have won each of their last 11 home games in Europa, and Leverkusen remain unbeaten this season across all competitions (43 matches).

Atalanta (3) vs (0) Liverpool

→ Liverpool have won three of their last four away games against Italian sides, though their last visit ended in a 4-1 defeat to Napoli in 2022. 

→Atalanta have only lost one of their 16 previous home games in major European competitions, and the only defeat came in the second leg of a quarter-final to RB Leipzig (2-0).

Time Wasting Crackdown

A waste of time?

The three most frustrating things in life are:

• Burning your tongue (and not tasting anything for a week).

• The neighbour's dog barking.

• The opposition wasting time when your team is chasing the game.

While there’s not much hope for the first two, football bodies are thinking of solutions to the third.

Yup, Major League Soccer (MLS) is introducing three new laws to curb time-wasting… and they’re debuting this weekend. 

And if the Premier League’s crackdown on timewasting is like the strict substitute teacher, then MLS’s is more like the headteacher.

The three rules that they’re introducing are:

• Two-minute break for ‘injured’ players: if a player goes down for 15 seconds and needs treatment, they can only return to the pitch after two minutes.

• 10-second substitutions: does what it says on the tin… if the substitution takes longer than 10 seconds, the player coming on must wait for at least another minute.

• In-stadium VAR announcements: a ploy to stop fans being kept in the dark about a VAR decision.

R1 take: Other major leagues have similar rules but almost nowhere near the intensity that the MLS is trialling. The concern is that it penalises genuinely injured players and rewards teams that commit fouls that cause injuries. 

But, if the trial goes well - and we’re sceptical - then there’s no reason not to introduce these rules in European leagues… unless my team is winning, that is.

Off The Pitch

🍿 Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast in Martin Scorsese’s Frank Sinatra biopic (More)

💍 London law firm accidentally gets the wrong couple divorced (More)

🌧️ Dubai’s desert city floods as the UAE it with the heaviest rainfall in 75 years (More)

🍅 Heinz introduces pink Barbie-cue sauce (More)

🌊 EU pledges €3.5 billion to protect the world’s oceans (More)

🏰 Museum of London building and Bastion House to be demolished in 2028 for office space (More)

🐘 Elephant goes on a stroll in Montana (More)

Extra Time

The trailer for Manchester United’s treble-winning season documentary has been released.

Gary Neville’s top five ‘oooooos’. 

Bellingham vs Foden: the battle for England’s no.10 shirt.

Headlines you thought you’d never see in football.

Romario signs with America-RJ to return to playing at 58 years old.

Kate Abdo speaks to IFL TV about Jamie Carragher and Malik Scott.

FPL Bonus: World FPL rank 1463 picks a Free Hit draft ahead of GW34.

Game Face On

Question: Can you name the missing players from Barcelona’s 2006 Champions League winning side?

Scroll below for the answer.

On Today

FOOTBALL

UEFA Conference League: Fiorentina vs Viktoria Pizen (17:45 BST, TNT Sports)

UEFA Conference League: Lille vs Aston Villa (17:45 BST, TNT Sports)

UEFA Europa League: West Ham United vs Bayer Leverkusen (20:00 BST, TNT Sports)

UEFA Europa League: Atalanta vs Liverpool (20:00 BST, TNT Sports)

Full Europa League and Conference League schedule is found here.

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer: 4 = Rafa Marquez, 20 = Deco, 10 = Ronaldinho

“I’ve been consistent in patches this season.”

-Theo Walcott