Correct, but just one of those offsides can result in momentum swinging to the opposition. It’s no secret that teams know that in order to get goals against us in open play, they will target that high line and if they feel they are close to beating it then they can grow in confidence, especially with these pathetic late flags because it can often result in us starting to panic a bit when chasing back.
You play to the whistle, not the flag. Even if the flag goes up, that doesn't automatically mean the game is stopped. The flag has to go up late because most offside calls are tight, and the linesman can't judge them all correct all the time.
What annoys me is why the whistle goes for the offside flag, when the defending team have already won the ball back and are on the counter attack. In that case, I don't understand why the play has to be stopped.
It’s been getting spoken about since the 4-3 win over Norwich on the opening day of our title winning season. That was when we seemed to start playing an extra couple of yards higher.
Admittedly, although we managed to get top 4 last season, if ever there was a time to do away with that line and drop back a few yards it was last season when we had Kabak and Phillips/Williams paired at CB because they’re all about as quick as someone running through mud whilst pulling a tyre and it did cause us a world of problems. But seeing as we still persisted with it under those circumstances, think it’s clear that we won’t be changing it anytime soon.
Yes we played a high line that night, but we won 4-1.
We dropped deeper last season because of the defensive injury crisis. That meant we were less dangerous upfront. Now the crisis is over, we can have a higher line at the back. It doesn't work all the time, but the stats show it works more often than it doesn't.
Logged