🚨VAR Tapes Released. Here's What Happened... 👀

Gm football fans. Route One here.

A keen-eyed reader let us know that we missed the Europa League fixtures in yesterday’s newsletter. Just so you know, that wasn’t a mistake. But, for the sake of keeping the peace, Liverpool (and Brighton) fans feel free to scroll to the bottom…

Today’s briefing is a ~7 min read:

• 🌟 MUST-READ… VAR tapes have been released. Here’s what happened…

• 👀 Gameweek 8 preview… Can Arsenal change home form against City?

• 💭 Daydreamers Den… How long would it take your Sunday league team win everything? Here’s your answer…

RESULTS

🗞️ Morning Brief

🌟 Must-read

“Oh, for f***’s sake”… VAR tapes released

If you’re standing right now, you’d better take a seat for this one.

If you can grab some popcorn… even better. Why?

Because the VAR audio tape from the Spurs vs Liverpool game have been released by PGMOL.

Here are the top takeaways from the recording:

• VAR officials prioritised efficiency over accuracy. The guidance to Video Match Officials emphasises that accuracy > efficiency…

• A new VAR Communication Protocol will be developed to enhance the clarity of communication between the ref and VAR team

• VAR will now have to confirm the outcome with the AVAR before confirming… just to make the process that big longer

The best part? We have the full transcript, but here are the fun parts:

Hooper: "Well done, boys. Good process."

Replay operator (unnamed): "Wait, wait, wait, wait. The on-field decision was offside."

Dan Cook: "Offside, goal, yeah."

Assistant VAR: "That's wrong that, Daz."

Replay operator (unnamed): "On-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this image? Yeah, it's onside. The image that we gave them is onside."

Dan Cook: "The left-back he's played him, he's gone."

Darren England: "Oh for fuck’s sake."

England summed it pretty well… we’ll leave it at that. 🙂 

👀 Weekend preview: Arsenal vs Man City

Can Arsenal match away form against City?

The season is still early… BUT it’s hard to deny that Arsenal vs City is a big big big game.

Do the maths… 3 points is basically 6 in this game.

Now, Arsenal’s form away from home has been spectacular: they have won their opening 3 away games without conceding a single goal.

The same can’t be said for their home form…

They have conceded 6 goals in 4 home league games this season.

So, why the dip in form at home?

1/ The Athletic stats show that Arsenal take the lead earlier and more often than they do at the Emirates…

Apart from lifting confidence (something which young players thrive on), it forces the opposition to open up more…

Arsenal’s technicality means they can dominate the game more when the opposition is less compact defensively.

2/ Emotions at the Emirates are much higher

The stakes are higher in front of home fans… it’s that simple.

This has made the defence shakier and more susceptible to mistakes.

Here’s what Arteta said last week when asked why his defence is leakier at the Emirates: “It is a mental issue, it is about reading the situation, finding the composure and being uncomfortable or comfortable when it is a more chaotic game that sometimes we provoke in our way of playing.”

Arteta knows this better than anyone: you can’t be emotional against City.

And if there’s ever been a better time for Arsenal to sure up their defensive acumen at home… it’s this weekend.

🤔 Daydreamer’s Den… 💭 

How long would it take your Sunday league team win everything? Here’s your answer…

We’ve all been there… daydreaming about starting a team from the bottom and doing the impossible: never losing a game.

But, just how long would it take you to win everything?

Here’s the breakdown…

Let’s assume you’re starting at level 10 of the football league…

You’d start by playing in the FA Challenges or Vase Competition. After 11 wins your team would be eligible to play in the FA Cup.

Right, so now you’re in the big leagues… what happens next?

Easy, just win another 14 matches to win the FA Cup trophy.

Don’t celebrate for you too long… as now you’re eligible to compete in the Europa League.

11 wins later and you’re Europa League champions and, better yet, entered into the Champions League.

Another 11 wins means your club become champions of Europe.

Doing the maths, that means that you could win the FA CUP, Europa League, and Champions League in around 4 years and under 50 games…

So, fancy your chances?

(P.S. – DO NOT let the wife know it was our idea.)

Credit: Jonny Andrews (Insta)

📺 FIXTURES

Wednesday, 4 October

Champions League on TNT Sports

Early kick-off - 5.45pm

• Atletico Madrid vs Feyenoord

• Royal Antwerp vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Late kick-off - 8pm

• Celtic vs Lazio

• Borussia Dortmund vs AC Milan

• Newcastle United vs PSG

• Red Star Belgrade vs Young Boys

• RB Leipzip vs Man City

• FC Porto vs Barcelona

Thursday, 5 October

Europa League on TNT Sports

Early kick-off - 5.45pm

• AEK Athens vs Ajax

• Aris Limassol vs Rangers

• Backa Topola vs Olympiacos

• Freiburg vs West Ham

• Marseille vs Brighton

• Rakow Czestochowa vs Sturm Graz

• Real Betis vs Sparta Prague

• Sporting vs Atalanta

Late kick-off - 8pm

• Hacken vs Karabakh

• Liverpool vs Union Saint Gilloise

• Maccabi Haifa vs Panathinaikos

• Molde vs Leverkusen

• Roma vs Servette

• Slavia Prague vs Sheriff

• Toulouse vs LASK

• Villarreal vs Rennes

💰 BIG-GAME PLAYER

The puzzle section

With the Champions League on this week, it is only right that today’s quiz is themed as such. The questions are based on Premier League teams in the UCL over the years… ready.. set.. go…

1. How many current Premier League teams have won the Champions League/European Cups?

2. Which current Premier League team has won the most Champions Leagues/European Cups?

3. Which current Premier League player has scored the most Champions League goals?

Tuesday’s answer:

Who Are Ye?

• I began my career at Leeds’ academy in 1996

• I hold the record for the most England U21 caps (46)

• The only major club honour I haven’t won is the Europa League, but was a runner-up with Liverpool in 2015/16

The answer is… James Milner

😆 MEME