Matchweek 2 - Starring Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Mel

67YAZ

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Pepe on at halftime. He’s one of the players I’m most interest in seeing adapt to the EPL.
 

67YAZ

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This Arsenal attacking crew looks downright dangerous. Pepe is clever and quick, Ceballos is so composed on the ball, Lacazette clinical as ever, and Aubameyang...remember when folks on here were afraid he was just a “speed merchant”? They need more time together to really get coordinated, but the potential looks immense today.
 

Kliq

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I don’t feel great about Spurs getting the draw there...but I’ll take it.
 

DJnVa

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No one complaining about this complained about Llorente’s goal last season right?
 

Bunt Single

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Ridiculous!
Correctly ruled, I suppose.
Ergo, ridiculous rule!
An ending that just didn't feel like a football ending.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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Not sure if that sucked in the awesomest way ever, or was awesome in the suckiest way ever

@DrewDawg’s tuck rule analogy is spot on.

Almost wonder if the Champions League miracle comebacks buried the “Spurs-y” thing a la 2004 ALCS
 

Kliq

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Not sure if that sucked in the awesomest way ever, or was awesome in the suckiest way ever

@DrewDawg’s tuck rule analogy is spot on.

Almost wonder if the Champions League miracle comebacks buried the “Spurs-y” thing a la 2004 ALCS
Don’t act like during the last two minutes after the goal was waived off you didn’t think when City was threatening that they were going to score and that Spurs blowing this game TWICE was the most Spurs-y ending ever.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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XG 3.3-0.2 and that’s without the Jesus non goal.

VAR is sucking the excitement out of the game. You can’t celebrate anything, especially if they’re going to call stuff back for ticky tacky violations way back in the buildup or incidental handling that would never be called in live action by a referee.
 

teddykgb

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Not that I’m particularly eager for this to be a pen either but the VAR ref didn’t spot this in 1st half as a foul

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/city_chief/status/1162778886230487041


It’s very obviously a bullshit handball, it’s not even clear which player handles it and it would never ever ever be called in real time. And if you’re gonna super slow mo review it, then you’ve got Laporte being grabbed which affects his hand positioning, etc. which is the real problem here, the chains of events and small details matter and it’s impossible to decide when and where you apply the strictest interpretations of the laws and when you let something like the above slide. If you’re going to call millimeter offsides and glancing handballs then you have to call everything
 

Gunfighter 09

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I can't do anything but laugh.

XG 3.3-0.2 and that’s without the Jesus non goal.

VAR is sucking the excitement out of the game. You can’t celebrate anything, especially if they’re going to call stuff back for ticky tacky violations way back in the buildup or incidental handling that would never be called in live action by a referee.
You really need the graphic to appreciate the glorious garbage of that Spurs point.

View: https://twitter.com/caley_graphics/status/1162795314123812864?s=21
 

coremiller

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I think it was the right call but the overall result was ridiculous. That was the worst Spurs performance in a very long time. Hopelessly outclassed. Poch's tactics made no sense at all.

The extra irony is that under thew new rule Llorente's winning goal in the CL QF last year, which stood after a long VAR review, would have been overturned under the new rule.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Not that I’m particularly eager for this to be a pen either but the VAR ref didn’t spot this in 1st half as a foul

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/city_chief/status/1162778886230487041


It’s very obviously a bullshit handball, it’s not even clear which player handles it and it would never ever ever be called in real time. And if you’re gonna super slow mo review it, then you’ve got Laporte being grabbed which affects his hand positioning, etc. which is the real problem here, the chains of events and small details matter and it’s impossible to decide when and where you apply the strictest interpretations of the laws and when you let something like the above slide. If you’re going to call millimeter offsides and glancing handballs then you have to call everything
It’s honestly just a terrible system and your post nicely captures why.

While the handball might be the correct call by the letter of the law, the shirt pull is also a foul by the letter of the law. Neither would ever be called in live action. But if you’re going to review everything according to letter of the law standards, why apply that standard to one violation and not the other? The correct call by the asinine rules as they exist would probably be no goal but a penalty awarded to City. Go figure.
 

coremiller

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It’s honestly just a terrible system and your post nicely captures why.

While the handball might be the correct call by the letter of the law, the shirt pull is also a foul by the letter of the law. Neither would ever be called in live action. But if you’re going to review everything according to letter of the law standards, why apply that standard to one violation and not the other? The correct call by the asinine rules as they exist would probably be no goal but a penalty awarded to City. Go figure.
The theory is that fouls are a judgment call left to the discretion of the referee while the scoring from a handball call is a purely objective factual determination -- did it hit his hand or not? Thus they are subject to different standards of review, so VAR can reverse one but not the other.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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The theory is that fouls are a judgment call left to the discretion of the referee while the scoring from a handball call is a purely objective factual determination -- did it hit his hand or not? Thus they are subject to different standards of review, so VAR can reverse one but not the other.
But the handball rules still involve the subjective element of “natural” positioning (or however it’s now written).

Also, isn’t VAR used all the time to assess whether fouls occurred? I don’t understand the notion that they are not reviewable.
 

teddykgb

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It’s honestly just a terrible system and your post nicely captures why.

While the handball might be the correct call by the letter of the law, the shirt pull is also a foul by the letter of the law. Neither would ever be called in live action. But if you’re going to review everything according to letter of the law standards, why apply that standard to one violation and not the other? The correct call by the asinine rules as they exist would probably be no goal but a penalty awarded to City. Go figure.
And Aguero probably hits it where Loris saves it again and I can spend the afternoon only being angry at my team absolutely decimating Spurs but wasting chances.

The only thing you can do there if you’re going to be ultra technical, like you said, is call off the goal and award a PK for a small tug in the box which would have been more fair but is also convoluted and stupid, just like these asinine rules
 

coremiller

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But the handball rules still involve the subjective element of “natural” positioning (or however it’s now written).

Also, isn’t VAR used all the time to assess whether fouls occurred? I don’t understand the notion that they are not reviewable.
Handball for a foul/penalty does require assessing "natural" positioning. Handball for "the can't score/create a goal from a handball" rule does not.

The foul is reviewable, but the call can only be overturned for a clear and obvious error. The scoring from a handball review isn't subject to the clear and obvious requirement.
 

coremiller

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And Aguero probably hits it where Loris saves it again and I can spend the afternoon only being angry at my team absolutely decimating Spurs but wasting chances.

The only thing you can do there if you’re going to be ultra technical, like you said, is call off the goal and award a PK for a small tug in the box which would have been more fair but is also convoluted and stupid, just like these asinine rules
City's problem wasn't so much wasting chances, it was conceding two goals from Spurs' only two shots in the game (not counting Kane's 70-yard lob attempt).
 

SoxFanInCali

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California. Duh.
But the handball rules still involve the subjective element of “natural” positioning (or however it’s now written).
Not in this case. If the ball hits the arm, accidental or not, natural position or not, it's no goal.

Blame the rule, but don't blame the refs. They had no choice but to call it based on the rule. There's no interpretation whatsoever.