Premier League referees will, like many of us, turn on the television on Monday when their match conversations with their VARs are broadcast across the world for the first time.
Referees’ chief Howard Webb joins Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports to listen in on some of the big incidents involving VAR this season.
Top-flight officials are attending a two-day training camp at St George’s Park from tomorrow and are expected to tune in to watch the programme before Leicester City’s game against Liverpool and a show called Match Officials: Mic’d Up will air tomorrow to the Premier League’s international rights holders.
One of the decisions expected to be discussed is Arsenal’s disallowed goal against Leicester in February, when Leandro Trossard’s goal was disallowed for a foul by Ben White on goalkeeper Danny Ward.
Match of the Day host and former Leicester striker Gary Lineker was ‘bemused’ by the decision, despite White grabbing Ward’s glove to restrict his ability to punch the ball clear. It is understood the discussion between referee Craig Pawson and the VAR reflects that.
Howard Webb will appear on Monday Night Football where he will be quizzed on Premier League refereeing
Webb has encouraged a more open culture since becoming the PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer
Webb has encouraged a more open culture since replacing Mike Riley as Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief refereeing officer in December and while Match Officials: Mic’d Up will be a one-off, Webb wants to release audio of refereeing decisions frequently next season.
As head of VAR operations for Major League Soccer, Webb introduced a weekly show that discussed all the controversial decisions and broadcast the conversations between referees and the VAR. He has been more open about mistakes at PGMOL and has offered apologies to clubs for errors including Brighton’s denied penalty against Tottenham.
He’s been ruthless too. Lee Mason lost his job as a VAR less than a week after Mail Sport revealed he had forgotten to draw the crucial offside lines on Brentford’s controversial equaliser in a mistake that affected Arsenal’s fight for the title.
Webb will be quizzed on VAR and other refereeing issues on Monday’s televised show
Football’s lawmakers IFAB prohibit the live broadcast of referee communications but they have no issue with them being made public after games.
Premier League referees have been preparing for more than a year for their communications to be broadcast, with the feeling among officials that it cannot come soon enough.
They hope the move will help supporters, clubs and the media understand how decisions are reached, reduce confusion and controversy and lessen animosity towards officials.
l Monday Night Football, Sky Sports Main Event, 6.30pm.
Dec’s young, but he’s done so much
David Moyes has hailed Declan Rice as the model professional as the clock ticks down on his West Ham career.
The England midfielder is almost certain to be sold this summer and West Ham manager Moyes revealed how impressed he is with what his captain, 24, has already achieved and experienced in his career.
Rice has made more than 200 league appearances for West Ham and will have the pick of the Premier League when West Ham respond to the highest bidder for his services this summer.
Moyes said: ‘Dec would be up in the age years in what he has done in captaining the club here. I don’t know how many caps but he must have had 40 caps for England at the moment, something around those figures.
West Ham boss David Moyes (pictured) has issued a glowing review of his skipper Declan Rice
Rice is heavily linked with a move away from West Ham in the upcoming transfer window
‘I think for someone at his age to be at that level and part of a World Cup, a Euros and getting to a final, it is a great level of experience for someone who is still so young.
‘It would be great if Dec was a West Ham player, but if not then we will move on,’ said Moyes ahead of West Ham’s trip to Brentford today before Thursday’s second leg of the UEFA Conference League semi-final with the Hammers taking a 2-1 lead to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
Man City’s Madrid Conundrum
Jack Grealish put it best: ‘I said to myself I feel we’re only going to score from a shot from the edge of the box.’
He was right. Manchester City needed Kevin De Bruyne’s long-range effort to go into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid level.
Pep Guardiola will want more dominance at the Etihad. Carlo Ancelotti kept them at arm’s length.
In only four Premier League and Champions League games this season have City had fewer shots than 10 in the Bernabeu and in none has a higher percentage come from outside the box.
Pep Guardiola (right) will be hoping to get the better of his Real Madrid counterpart Carlo Ancelotti (left)
When Guardiola’s Bayern faced Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in 2014, they had nearly 70% possession and lost 4-0.
Madrid soaked up pressure and hit Bayern at set-pieces and on the counter. They were 3-0 up in 34mins.
Bayern’s average positions (right) show how they pushed to get back into the game and were exposed. Pep described it as the ‘biggest f***-up of my life’.
If City do the same at the Eithad, Vinicius Junior could run riot.
It’s a fine balance for Guardiola. Ancelotti’s teams defend in a 4-4-2 so opponents can only have joy in wide areas if the full-backs join the attack, leaving them open to the counter-attack.
When City beat Real Madrid 4-3 in the first leg of last season’s semi-final, Vinicius scored on the break but City’s full-backs played a huge part in three of their four goals.
TITLE’S IN THE BAG, RIGHT?
City need nine points from their final four games to guarantee their fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
City have only failed to get nine points from the last four games in one of Pep’s seasons at City.
However, City only got seven points from the reverse fixtures against their final four opponents.
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