Match Week 7 Recap

EPL Match Week 7 - CleanSheet Recap

In Today’s CleanSheet:

• Headlines 📌

• Current Situation📈📉

• Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥- VAR - Video Assistant Referee

• Off Island 🏝️ - European Competitions

• Best Bets 💰

Headlines 📌

• Best Result of Match Week 7. 6-1 Villa over BHA. Both clubs are relatively new to competing for top 4 or 5 spots, both are young, can score, can concede, and both are 5W 0D 2L. Villa put this one away early with 3 goals in 25 min and cruised from there.

• Not “Invincibles”. Wolves take down Man City in the biggest upset of the year so far 2-1 at the Molineaux. City lost mid-week in the League Cup, so that’s 2 in a row. Arsenal’s 2002 team, nicknamed the Invincibles (Wiki on the team), seem to be safe again as the only team to go thru a PL season undefeated.

• Game On! The Man City loss shows there are chinks in the armor. Liverpool and Arsenal are good enough to contend and Tottenham continues to exceed expectations.

• Biggest Disappointment. Welcome back Man United. While Palace had a great 1-0 win at Old Trafford, the story is what is going on with United and is Erik ten Hag up to the task? You can understand the impatience of United fans when you see Tottenham, Villa and BHA rolling with new managers and much less spend.

• Luton Town with WIN number one! And congrats 😉 to Everton to now have gotten 1 point in 2 matches against two teams battling to avoid relegation - a draw with Sheffield United and loss at home to LT. You just know Everton’s season will come down to the last weekend again.

• Still Winless. 3 teams have yet to win. Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Luton Town, Burnley.

Biggest Story of the Weekend

• 🎵Nuts and Bolts, Nuts and Bolts, We Got Screwed! To stay positive, we decided to lead the Headlines with the Best Result of the Weekend and the big win for Wolves. However, the biggest story of the weekend begins with “A Significant Human Error”.

  • Setting the Scene. Early on in the Liverpool Tottenham match, tied nil-nil, Luis Diaz appeared to have scored for Liverpool (90s breakdown on X). However, the goal was taken off the board after a VAR review for Off-Side. BUT it was clear the play was ON-SIDE. (here is the goal 10s on X)

  • So, what happened? The VAR official thought the on-field ruling was called ON-SIDE and the goal allowed so responded, “check complete call stands”, however, the on-field call was OFF-SIDE. The VAR official and on field official did not communicate well, and the goal was not allowed.

  • Great (2min breakdown on X)

  • PGMOL - Professional Game Match Official Limited issued TWO statements since the error.

    • Statement 1 - We F’d Up

    • Statement 2 - HaHaHa

  • Liverpool responded saying they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”.

  • May pundits have been more outspoken about this incident than you may traditionally see.

    • Robbie Mustoe, The 2 Robbies Podcast and analyst of NBCs Premier League Mornings, “That’s the closest I’ve felt to almost feeling like they should replay the game. Again, I dont want it to happen, but that is the closest I’ve felt to it given how bad an error that was.” AND “We need a VAR for the VAR”.

    • Rebecca Lowe, NBC studio Premier League Mornings. “I’m not saying they should award Liverpool a point or play the game again. I just would like to hear a discussion from the authorities about how VAR will be improved…..VAR was supposed to make football better. Has it? Not in my opinion.”

    • Robby Marsh, 30 seconds viewpoint on X.

  • Great comments by Jurgen Klopp. (X 1 min)

  • Steve Czaban, 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee and The Steve Czaban Podcast, has long been against Replay in sport and has some great takes on the subject. And this X post from just last week. Great national podcast (not soccer related) - check out his podcast and/or show with the link above.

For more on VAR - Video Assistant Referee - See Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

Current Situation 📈📉

Clean Sheets Counter

Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

VAR.

Video Assistant Referee. aka Instant Replay.

“Instant Replay” is a part of all sports and leagues. The primary premise is “we just want to make sure we get the call right” and to fix “a clear and obvious error” with “minimal interference, maximum benefit”. However, are the games “better” with replay?

What is VAR

• For a deeper dive on VAR, click here (wiki).

• Basically, VAR is an additional referee who is watching the game on video and communicating with the on the field Match Referee if a review is needed.

• Each league is responsible for their VAR approach and exeuction. VAR in the Premier League is not the same as VAR at the World Cup, MLS etc.

VAR in the EPL

• VAR came to the PL in 2019.

• In the PL there are 4 categories they look for

  • Goal/No Goal - could be offside, handball etc.

  • Penalty/No Penalty - in/out of box

  • Direct Red Card - serious foul

  • Mistaken Identity - red or yellow cards

• Here is all the detail you may want to read on PL VAR.

VAR was supposed to cut errors, but now the Integrity is in question.

The integrity of the game is now in question, (good 2 min article) and rightly so.

In addition to this blatant error, there have been two high profile issues within the last month related to Referees.

• Barcelona have been accused of bribing referee’s for $8M.

• Referee Mike Dean recently admitted to avoiding a VAR call to save fellow ref more grief.

What’s Next?

Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer @TimesSport has some specific ideas to improve the system. None of them are to eliminate the system.

The Referee’s have been suspended. (x article)

VAR will be a hot topic throughout the season.

Off Island 🏝️

Champions League Matches Mid-Week

• Man United host Galatasaray Tuesday 2pm Paramount+

• Lens host Arsenal Tuesday 2pm Paramount+

• Leipzig host Man City Wednesday 2pm Paramount+

• Newcastle host PSG Wednesday 2pm Paramount+

Europa League

• Freiberg host West Ham Thursday 1145am Paramount+

• Liverpool host Union SG Thursday 2pm Paramount+

• Marseille host BHA Thursday 1145am Paramount+

Europa Conference

• Aston Villa host Zrinjski Thursday 2pm Paramount+

Best Bets 💰

Down a little to start the season, long way to go…..City loss cost the day.