This season has witnessed the implementation of measures aimed at prolonging the time the ball remains in play during matches. The Premier League’s opening weekend saw a significant increase in added time as a result of these efforts.
The goal behind this initiative is to discourage players from delaying play restarts by factoring in the duration of pauses in the game. However, Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, believes that the yellow card shown to Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 67th minute at Stamford Bridge, while the score was tied at 1-1, was unjust. He argues that the defender was merely searching for a teammate to throw the ball to.
“I think last season some teams exploited the rules, but we have never been one of those teams,” Klopp asserted. “I anticipated that we would receive a yellow card – probably the first – for time wasting with a throw-in.”
He further explained, “When Trent is looking for a player and attempting to find one, it is a tactical decision. He can’t simply take the ball and throw it aimlessly. Perhaps we need to clarify this rule, but beyond that, I believe many teams took advantage of it too blatantly, and that’s why there’s a call for more football to be played.”
Klopp acknowledged that he wasn’t aware of the exact amount of net ball-in-play time during the match, but he believes it is currently being managed in this manner. He mentioned that there were six minutes of added time in the first half due to VAR decisions, and five minutes in the second half. While these numbers seem significant, Klopp recognizes that it is a transitional period and they must adapt to it.
Liverpool took an early lead in west London through Luis Diaz’s impressive goal on the counterattack. However, their celebrations were short-lived as VAR disallowed Mohamed Salah’s goal, ruling him offside. Chelsea equalized through debutant defender Axel Disasi, and they also had a second goal from Ben Chilwell overturned after a video review, resulting in an entertaining draw.
Both teams displayed a lack of defensive control in midfield throughout the game. Interestingly, Chelsea managed to secure the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton, which was a target for Liverpool as well. Additionally, they appear set to acquire Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who has also been pursued by the Reds.
Regarding his team’s midfield struggles, Klopp admitted, “We should’ve handled it better. The best way to prevent such issues is to control the game, and we had the potential to do that. We had good moments where we passed the ball at the right time and maintained possession, creating one-on-one situations on the wing, making it challenging for Chelsea to handle us.”
He emphasized that it was only the first game and there is room for improvement, but he saw a promising foundation. Regarding Chelsea’s desire for more players, Klopp added, “It’s typical for a Chelsea manager to want more players, and they usually get them.”
Overall, this season’s focus on increased ball-in-play time has generated interesting dynamics in matches, with teams adapting their strategies and tactics to this new approach.
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