Ex-Premier League ref spotted new time-wasting tactics being used to ‘burn’ Liverpool as Fabinho fumes
Burnley may have deliberately got themselves offside to time waste against Liverpool on Saturday.
That is the view of former Fifa and Premier League official Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the new tactic he spotted in Jurgen Klopp’s side’s 1-0 win at Turf Moor.
Liverpool’s notoriously high line caught Burnley offside seven times in Saturday’s Premier League clash.
In light of the introduction of VAR, the PGMOL advises linesman to refrain from flagging an offside until the passage of play in question has ended.
Speaking to DAZN (13 February), Reds midfielder Fabinho suggested that late flags created a false narrative in Saturday’s game.
He rejected the DAZN reporter’s claim that Sean Dyche’s side had lots of chances.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs if Burnley could have been deliberately playing on the shoulder to waste time, Hackett said:
“Against the top teams in the Premier League, the lesser teams do two things – absorb time and delay time.
“They know when they get to that element of delay, they know they are likely to get the referee involved. It is the subtleties that referees often fail to pick up.
“At corner kicks, a player will happily put the ball outside the quadrant in the hope that the referee or assistant referee interferes. A player will happily try and take throw-ins further forward in the hope that the referee says, ‘No, I’d like you to get further back.’ These are some of the tactics used to delay time.
“Every opportunity that the opposition has to burn time, they will take. We are seeing that now with offsides. Teams like Burnley may be using the new offside rule to their advantage.”
In other news, it can be revealed Liverpool are set to Roberto Firmino a new deal as Klopp’s new attack plan revealed.