we all agree it was a dive by the Napoli lad, calling it one way or another is subjective and therefore open to interpretation. I don't necessarily fully agree with the handball rule but it does at least mean, in theory, there will be consistency with handball decisions.
The trouble with the system at the moment for me is what constitutes a "clear and obvious" error from the referee.
A lot of neutrals said it was a penalty. Souness thought it was a penalty as the forward was "clever". Robbo doesn't win the ball, and there is contact. I don't think it's a clear dive nor a clear penalty. Some replays show it's a stonewall, others don't. So in that case, the original decision stood.
Hang on, like the your obsession with VAR being perfect, you only look at it from your own biased point of view.
You can mention the 3 games we lost to them but if you are going to use that for an argument then you should include the friendly where we stuffed 5 past them in the build up to last season and whilst they beat us at their place in the group stage, we ultimately won the most important game over the two and led to us going on to win the Champions League and them to get knocked down to the Europa League before then getting eliminated from that too.
Nothing is won or lost in the first game of the group stage and the fact you are more bothered about a friendly defeat and them beating us at their place, which ultimately hasn’t proven costly at all so far.
It doesn't suggest anything, bar the fact that we have won 1 game of the last 4 against them. By any criteria, that's a bogey side. The friendly we won was not in the past 12 months. The poster originally said he isn't used to it, I just asked him why?
Last year's group came down to goal difference, and having the last game at home was a massive help, in getting through. We don't have that advantage this year. We have won 1 of the last ten group away games, and 2 of the last twelve. I know we got through it last year, but that won't happen all the time. Our away form in Europe must improve.
We don't know at this point what impact this result will have on the group until it's done. It may not have any, it may have a lot. Like I said, we thought we had a good result in the bag with 10 minutes left in Naples, except we didn't get it. Now fans are saying we'll beat Napoli at home. Hopefully they'll be right, but given their recent record against us, we know that will be difficult in itself.
We thought we would breeze through the Real group under Rodgers. We won the first game, but missed the cut by one goal. This is the top club competition in Europe. Yes on paper we should make it, but nothing should be taken for granted at this stage.
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