Something had to be done after the 2020-21 Premier League season saw record numbers of penalties, frustrating toenail VAR offside decision and chaos over handballs. It has! This season will see a complete overhaul of the way referees interpret certain Laws of the Game. We discuss how this could improve matches for 2021-22.JUMP TO: Soft penalties | HandballVAR OFFSIDEWhat is changing?In 2020-21, 32 goals were ruled out of play by the VAR and marginal decisions made by the assistant referee. The advantage of doubt had been lost to the attacker, and the notion of being on the same side as the last defender was no longer romantic.It's all different for 2021-22. The Premier League will use the same system that was used in the Champions League last season and at Euro 2020. Although the process is identical, the final decision may be different. The goal will be valid regardless of whether or not the linesman flagged them.Premier League referees chief Mike Riley stated that "On marginal offside we've now effectively given the benefit of doubt to the attacking players." "So it's now the toenails and the noses of players who are offside. They might have been offside last year, but they won't next season."How will it make a difference?Riley claims that 19 goals were committed last season and would have been covered under the new interpretation. These include:- Mohamed Salah's goals vs. Brighton & Hove Albion & Sheffield UnitedJordan Henderson's injury-time win for Liverpool at EvertonPatrick Bamford, Leeds United at Crystal PalaceAymeric Laporte, Manchester City vs. WolvesOffside goals that look "marginal" will continue to exist, but players must be at least 5 cm (just under 2 inches), from the goal.How will it look?Let's look at Willian Jose's disallowance for Wolverhampton Wanderers in Fulham. Daniel Podence was not onside during the build-up.- VAR offside changes in detailOriginal VAR image shows red (attacker), and blue (defender), lines stacked on top of one another. It is difficult to see how the Wolves player could be on the wrong side.The VAR rules Daniel Podence marginally offside. Premier LeagueWhen it gets close enough, the VAR will decide on the goal and show one green line on the side.VAR will now consider marginal offside decisions. Premier LeagueDo you have any other ideas?Yes. The VAR will no longer show the process of moving lines across the screen. Fans won't be shown this. Because it was too confusing, TV will now show only the final result.Assistants are now instructed to raise flags when a player is clearly offside. This will reduce frustration and unnecessary passages of play before flag goes up. It won't take as long as it did at Euro 2020. UEFA has dedicated offside VARs, who are from top leagues, to perform this one job. Domestic leagues lack enough assistant referees to replicate this.- ESPN+ viewers' guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, moreStream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. Only)- Do you not have ESPN? Get instant accessSOFT FREE KICKS & PENALTIESLast season's Premier League record saw 125 penalties, an increase of 37.5% from season to season. Many soft spot kicks were taken after attackers that appeared barely touched. This wasn't a problem only in England. The number of penalties doubled in Ligue 1 while rising by 50% for the Bundesliga.Details: Soft free kicks and penalties changesAt Euro 2020, referees were widely praised for their ability to allow the game to flow without interfering with players. The Premier League now wants referees to be the same.English Soccer Pick 'Em - Play for Free to Win $5,000 Take Your PicksRiley stated that the fundamental approach is one that allows players to express themselves and allows Premier League games to flow. Riley also said that the refereeing team as both referees and VARs should not intervene in trivial offenses. Let's make this a more free-flowing season by raising the threshold slightly.This is especially true for penalties. Riley says that contact alone is not enough; the referee must also consider the consequences and motivation of the player.What does this all mean? These are the principles:- The referee should search for contact and establish clear contactAsk the defender if there are any consequences for contact.- Was the attacker trying to win a penalty or foul by using that contact?Contact is not enoughThis means that an attacker who falls to the ground must match the contact made by the defender. An attacker who throws himself to the ground due to minimal contact should not be considered a punishment.This is an example of such a penalty, which Arsenal's Dani Ceballos won against Everton. However, it was actually cancelled because it was offside. Ceballos, who was not touched at all, won the penalty but it would not be given this season.HANDBALLAccidental attacking handball2020-21 saw only five goals ruled out of attacking handball. This could be because the number of complaints is greater than the severity of the problem. The goal scorer or creator could rule out handball goals last season.Handball changes in detailA goal this season will be ruled out if it hits the arm/hand or the player who scored immediately. Although intent doesn't really matter, if the ball hits an opponent's arm/hand and the ball passes to him, the goal is still valid. This new interpretation would allow only two of the five goals to be disallowed.This means that Josh Maja's Fulham goal against Tottenham Hotspur (which came after the ball was struck against Mario Lemina's arm) will not be disallowed.Callum Wilson's goal against Liverpool would be ruled out because the Newcastle United striker was inadvertently handballed before scoring.Handball defenseThe law was amended to stop the rise in handball penalties across Europe. This brings us back to 2019, meaning that handball should be judged based on the expected position of the player's movements. This means that a penalty should only be applied if the player makes his body larger by keeping his arm away from his body.The clause that requires handball to be automatically penalised if the arm extends above the shoulder has been deleted. Eric Dier, Tottenham's Tottenham goalkeeper, conceded a penalty last season. Now his arm is considered to be in a natural place for jumping. If a player raises his hand above the ground for no apparent reason, it will still be considered a penalty. This is evident in this example of Jack Robinson's penalty against Fulham.A handball against an arm that is above the shoulder does not carry an automatic penalty. ESPNThe 22 Premier League referees will be responsible for ensuring that these changes are implemented successfully. It will be difficult to achieve consistency, particularly in handball and penalty fouls.
