I think it's safe to say our passing was a little predictable last night... please log in to view this image ...and it's also worth saying that this is what a pass map looks like with the Doherty/Bale pairing, while the Aurier/Lucas one has long looked like two dots stranded on the wing
I meant to mention this during the match, but did anyone else find the lack of VAR and the European ref refreshing? It reminded me of the Maccabi Haifa game, where things weren't being called for minor ****, but it was consistent and predictable. Normal foul? No card. Couple? Have a word. Bad one? Booked. Minor coming together? Play on. It's a bit jarring at first, as we're all used to a certain standard over here, but it worked well. Nothing got out of hand, nobody got injured (barring the accidental concussion and early non-contact sub) and the game flowed.
I was never sure about Kyle Walker, quite rightly I think, he often does things without thinking them through. If Doherty ends up like him then no issues.
I said the same in the Haifa game, one could enjoy it like a proper football match, not looking for the ref to see if he's talking to his microphone. I've decided VAR must go despite being super pro video replays since Pedro Mendes at Old Toilet.
Said similar in my group chat with my mates. Makes you realise that football wasn’t broken and didn’t need “fixing” with VAR. Ref was brilliant last night - for both teams. Stopped for proper fouls but let play slide in those 50-50s, as it should be.
I wondered why he didn't book Michorl (I think it was) for an early pullback, but then he applied that level consistently and it worked fine. I think that's the problem that people have with the officials, more than anything. They're simply not consistent.
Azpiliceuta should have been sent off for his challenge on Aubameyang that led to the equaliser. They should have been down to 10-men much earlier on. Swings and roundabouts.
He made no genuine attempt to win the ball from Aubameyang and he was ahead of Rüdiger at the time, so he was the last man. That’s a red card.
It's debatable if it's even a penalty. He pulled him back outside the box, then waited and went down in it when he wasn't being fouled any more. He even did a little Neymar roll afterwards, in typical divers fashion. Red or penalty. Not both. Xhaka fouls Kovacic. He probably made about 15 fouls in the match too, as he always does, so he should've been off instead.
Fouls that carry on inside the box are still penalties, IIRC. And although there’s a double jeopardy rule, you can still be red carded if you’ve not made a genuine attempt to win the ball and are the last man. Convenient that Azpilicueta let go of Auba’s shoulder when he knew he’d held on for too long and saw Auba about to go to ground. It was a foul, was nowhere near the ball and he was the last man. As for the bit in bold, that clearly suggests you didn’t watch the game, then?