New time-wasting regulations went into effect over the Football League’s opening weekend, and the Premier League was forewarned that its games would be 110 minutes long.
For the upcoming season, officials have been told to put into effect a number of rule modifications, including a crackdown on time-wasting.
Time out of play will be tallied up and tacked on at the conclusion of games, much like the World Cup in Qatar, as opposed to a referee making an arbitrary assessment.
The start of the current season was marked with games in the Championship, League One, and League Two, as well as the Community Shield match between Man City and Arsenal.
Games in the Football league
According to a report, every one of the 35 Football League games received at least eight minutes of extra time. The game with the least length of extra time was Middlesbrough’s 1-0 loss to Millwall at home, which had eight minutes and 45 seconds added to each half. One of five games that lasted more than 110 minutes was Stevenage’s 1-0 victory against Northampton, which had 22 minutes and 36 seconds of added time.
Premier League
Since teams like Newcastle, Brentford and Nottingham Forest were the worst offenders last time out, it makes sense that many Premier League games in the upcoming season will exceed the 110-minute threshold.
15 goals were scored in extra time during Football League games, and the Community Shield was no different.
Arsenal defeated Man City in a penalty shootout after Leandro Trossard’s deflected equaliser in the 110th minute.
Pep Guardiola’s reaction
Pep Guardiola stated that players and managers were not briefed on the forthcoming alterations when they were in consideration in a statement following that game.
“I had the feeling, not because we were winning 1-0, that not much happened to extend by eight minutes,” he told reporters.
He further said in the press conference, “But it’s a good question for the international boards and all the people, because they do not consult the managers, they don’t consult the players. They [change it], we have to accept. With this amount of games, now we are not going to play 90-minute games, now games are going to be 100 minutes, that’s for sure. One-hundred minutes.”
Raphael Varane’s reaction
Raphael Varane, a defender for Manchester United, voiced his disagreement with the modifications in support of player welfare. Guardiola was not the only person to dispute the alterations. The Frenchman took to Twitter and said, “Despite our previous feedbacks, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity, and less emotions to be shown by players.”
We had a meeting last week with the FA. They recommended from the referees new decisions and rules.
From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for…
— Raphaël Varane (@raphaelvarane) August 7, 2023
Other managers from the Premier League will be questioned about the same and are expected that they will agree with Pep’s and Varane’s viewpoints.
Also Read: How will Arsenal line up after Rice and Havertz signing?
“Get more sports news, cricket news, and football updates, log on to sportsdigest.in. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.”
