The Deliberate Rule

The Deliberate Rule

Dale Johnson of ESPN does incredibly well dissecting the questionable decisions across the Premier League every weekend. A large part of his feature this week focused on Liverpool’s offside goal against Aston Villa. As he points out in the piece, when the IFAB revised the ‘deliberate play’ law at the start of the season, they overcomplicated it by adding another layer of subjectivity to it. The law states that "deliberate play" is about a controlled action. Does the defender have …
Klopp's VAR Fury: Liverpool's Champions League Hopes End

Klopp's VAR Fury: Liverpool's Champions League Hopes End

Jurgen Klopp vs VAR: A Tale of Frustration amid Liverpool's Struggles Another VAR Disappointment for Klopp's Liverpool It's been quite a turbulent week for Liverpool's main man, Jurgen Klopp, as his team's slender hopes of securing a Champions League berth took another hit, this time against Aston Villa. The bane of VAR seems to follow Klopp like a shadow, leading to increased dismay after Roberto Firmino's 89th-minute equaliser only rescued a draw, adding to Klopp's growing list of grievances. Klopp's …
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and diving

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and diving

Mohamed Salah just can’t win.  The Liverpool forward is accused by many of being a diver, some even go to the lengths of creating videos to highlight these dives when in reality they flag a number of fouls. The fact remains, however, he has wrongly received this tag that he’s unable to shake. And while it’s fans who push this narrative, it’s one that is heard across the world via social media.  Yet in the Champions League clash with Napoli, …
Liverpool 1-1 Leicester City: What went wrong?

Liverpool 1-1 Leicester City: What went wrong?

An opportunity missed or an effective free hit? Liverpool fans have been left with mixed emotions after watching their side struggle to a draw against Leicester yet extend their lead over Manchester City in the process. The Reds had looked on course to breeze to a seven-point margin after Sadio Mane curled them in front in the third minute and they proceeded to totally dominate the first quarter of the contest. But with halftime beckoning, they were made to pay for …
PSG 2-1 Liverpool: What went wrong?

PSG 2-1 Liverpool: What went wrong?

It may be Liverpool's fourth season under Jurgen Klopp, but still the Reds insist upon doing it the hard way. A gut-wrenching defeat at PSG means their European ambitions hinge on the meeting with Napoli in a fortnight's time. Fail to deliver in that one, and Klopp's side face the horror of Europa League football. The German has seemingly traded flair for pragmatism this season, but the first-half display was more jittery than it was level-headed. James Milner's penalty offered …