Every Week Can't Be Amazing

Hmm, definitely not as much fun as last week.

Newcastle Flub Another Bite at the Cherries

The Magpies started brightly enough against Bournemouth away on Sunday but after about 20 minutes they looked like the second best team on the pitch.  They went in at halftime deservedly down 1-0.  Fortunately Gordon was able to convert an excellent cross from Barnes to level things in the 77th minute, (seen here as this week's YouTubeableMoment) and Newcastle looked like they were going to be lucky and take home a point.  Then they got even luckier.  Bournemouth were set to grab all three points after Ouattara headed in a cross from a corner in the 92nd minute.  VAR Tim Robinson chalked off the goal, saying the ball had gone in off Ouattara's arm.  As discussed in more detail below, I thought this was a harsh decision and Newcastle were totally lucky to get the draw.

This marks the fifth straight league match in which Newcastle have been unable to beat the Cherries.  Without trashing Bournemouth too much, that's not a side that should be such a challenge to a top six team.  Unless of course, you're not a top six team.

The Magpies continued their string of unimpressive performances against lower table teams in a mid-week 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in the second round of the League Cup.  They did have a solid first half but went in at half leading just 1-0.  Forest got the equalizer at 50 minutes and really looked the better side in the second half.  Newcastle will advance after winning the shoot out 4-3.  A bright spot was the return of Sandro Tonali after his 10-month suspension and he did impress on both sides of the pitch.  

Villans Were Less Lucky

The scoresheet says it was an 0-2 loss to Arsenal but I thought Aston Villa deserved something from the match.   Other than possession, the stats were remarkably event; xG was 1.26-1.16 favor Aston Villa. It was listed as the second least fair final score of the week.  The most troubling aspect was that Ollie Watkins, arguably the most reliable foot in the EPL the last two years, missed two big chances and eventually got subbed out.  Also, did they hire some Newcastle physios?  I saw a bunch of players go down, though it looks like Cash is the only one out for this week.

Random and Incomplete Observations

Crushed by advertising hoarding was not in the job description

- We did suggest Man United was going to have their hands full with Brighton and the Seagulls did come away with a 2-1 win

- The scoresheet says 6-2 Chelsea over Wolves but xG says it was 1.98-1.79 favor Wolves; what the hell happened there?  I watched the highlights (first half must have been the best 51 minutes of EPL action this year) and don't fully understand why the Chelsea xG is that low.

- A Crystal Palace ball boy was nearly crushed when exuberant West Ham fans pushed against the advertising hoarding after Soucek had just put the Hammers up 1-0 in a tight match.  Kudos to the players for reacting quickly to the situation and the boy wasn't hurt badly

- Also in the Palace - West Ham match, we had this hilarious incident in which Paqueta believes that the ball has been kicked and moves so he rushes in to steal it.  Rob Jones is having none of it but if you look at the video closely, you'll hear the whistle to proceed and see the ball kicked and move, even if it may not have been intentional.  Paqueta was clearly within his rights to go for the ball

Clear and Obvious Errors By VAR?

Directly from the IFAB publication

After a quiet opening week, Bournemouth's disallowed goal against Newcastle has the internet fuming again.  David Coote signalled for a goal on the field but Tim Robinson says it's a "factual handball" and Coote isn't even sent to the monitor to overrule his own call.  You can see the video here.  Before proceeding, see the illustration provided by IFAB as to how far down the shoulder is not considered a handball.  When the law was revised we heard a lot about the "t-shirt line" but the language says:

For the purposes of determining handball offences, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.

The phrase caught on probably because it was a more convenient benchmark but it is misleading.

Is that clearly and obviously below the armpit?

I have done a 360 on this one.  Live, I was certain that Bournemouth had been screwed.  Then, after looking at the IFAB illustration and the photos, I started thinking this was probably the correct call.  But, after looking at the enlarged photo (see left), I don't think the call on the field was a clear and obvious error.  There's no definitive picture as to where the ball actually hits Ouattara.  It's certainly very likely that it was handling but it's also possible the ball hit the top of his shoulder.  Better to let the call on the field stand. 

If you let the video above run to the end you'll also see Joelinton's clothes lining of the Bournemouth keeper.  Geez, I hate when guys on my team do stuff like that.  Live I was certain it was a red card but on the replay it looks like the initial contact was below the neck and yellow was probably correct.  However, coming seconds after the disallowed goal,  if I were Bournemouth, I might have lost my shit at that point.  One of their assistants did and was shown red.  

One more incident to discuss on the VAR.  On Chelsea's second goal, the play started with a goal kick in which the ball was still moving when the keeper kicked it.  As explained here, that play was not reviewable by VAR.  I found no satisfactory answer as to why this is the case.  This would also apply to a situation in which a player scores on a free kick after moving the ball from the spot the referee designated.  That seems like a totally logical use of VAR to me but...

Union Clinch Berth in Next Year's US Open Cup

As in, by losing the third place Leagues Cup match to Colorado, the Union will not make next year's CONCACAF Champions League and therefore lose their exemption from participating in the US Open Cup.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Besides, as discussed in the next section, they have a lot more important things to worry about.

Baribo won the Golden Boot in Leagues Cup
 John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

They actually played pretty well against Colorado and technically didn't lose but drew 2-2 in regulation and came up short (well, way short) in the PK shootout.  They dominated the first half yet found themselves down 0-1 before Baribo (him again) scored twice before the half ended.  You can see both goals here; check out the header from Wagner to set up the first one.  Colorado leveled early in the second half and the Union didn't look like the same team in the second half.  The PK shootout didn't go well at all and was over after four kicks.  

The week didn't get any better as they fell 0-1 at home to Columbus on Wednesday.  Again, they played pretty well and were a bit unlucky to have several shots bounce off the woodwork.  But in the end it wasn't enough.  So they still sit in 10th, one point out of a playoff spot.

Exodus (apologies to Bob Marley)

The Union continue to leak talent.  The latest to depart is center back Damion Lowe, who is off to Saudi Arabia. He joins Carranza and Martinez as key components of the Union lineup who have left midseason.  Lowe is 31 and would have been a free agent at the end of the season but he was also key to the depth at center back.  As detailed by Jonathan Tannewald here, this exodus 1) isn't over yet 2) was fully expected and 3) probably should played out last winter rather than during this season.  We will be looking at a much different roster next year.

You're A Peein' Soccer Stars

Probably not good for one's aim

BFS Art Director Laura O sent along the photo (right).  In the comments section, somebody suggested that Lukaku's attempt was called back for offside anyway.  

Stick To Baseball?

BFS Business Consultant Jack W sends along this from The Wall Street Journal highlighting the trials and tribulations of the American investor group that owns Chelsea.  We have had our share poking fun at the limited results they've seen from all that transfer spending.  As the article points out, they look to have made some mistakes in judging talent.  We will quibble a little with the argument that a big roster doesn't make sense in a sport where you play 11 with five subs; how do you play everybody so they develop?  The answer is that you loan them out.  Often the team getting the player on loan will pay a fee and/or the salary of the player.  You get to see who pans out on someone else's dime.   

Let's Try This Again

Yeah, except Newcastle have a very tough match at home against Spurs so not holding my breath that everything will be alright.  Opta has way more confidence in the Magpies, listing them at 38% and Spurs at 37%, with 23% chance of a draw.  Sounds like a good one to check out - it's Sunday at 8:30 am on USA.

The weekend kicks off at 7:30 with Arsenal - Brighton on USA; this may be a rude awakening for the Seagulls.  There are five choices at 10 am.  The TV game is Everton - Bournemouth, which Opta thinks will be a very tight match.  We'll be going with Leicester - Aston Villa, hoping for a bounce back from the Villans.  Nottingham Forest - Wolves, Brentford - Southampton and Ipswich - Fulham are your other choices.  The Saturday 12:30 feature match is West Ham hosting Man City; even at home, the Hammers are big underdogs.  

Chelsea - Crystal Palace run at the same time as Newcastle - Spurs.  The late (11 am) Sunday contest between Man United and Liverpool is getting talked up as the match of the weekend but Liverpool look like heavy favorites.  That one is only on Peacock.

The Union's quest for playoff berth doesn't get any easier as they head up the NJ Turnpike to face the Red Bulls.  I know the club has had a lot of success against these guys in recent years but not sure that's relevant any more.  I would be thrilled with a point.