Mate, that's just aesthetics. Seriously, give your head a wobble and read that again. If them's the rules then Lovren is forever condemned as he is incapable of controlling a football.
Just to clarify how silly this is if they're going to maintain this interpretation, anyone who even slightly deflects a cross now plays everyone onside. Is that what the rule is supposed to be, cos I'm pretty ****ing sure it's never been used like that?
So all these times when a linesman puts his flag up and waves his arm to indicate the player has come from an offside position what's that all about? Isn't that exactly what happened here?
Villa crying about a dubious offside... **** me they should be grateful they're even in the league after the failed goal line technology that kept those ****s afloat
No, I understand that part. The rules are clear that being in an offside position is not the same as being offside.
Just had a look at the rule: "A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent". So it comes down to interpretation of "deliberate". If Mings chesting the ball is deemed to be in control, then it's not offside. If he's deemed to not be in control, then he is offside. The officials decided to go with the former and that's the justification they will use.
The flag doesn't go up now until the end of the phase, regardless of whether the linesman believes there's been an offside.
This. If an attacking player is in an offside position when the ball is played forward then it should just be called offside.
