Is Hansi Flick playing with fire? That’s the message that many commentators across Europe have sent in regards to FC Barcelona’s offside trap.
Time and again, the team has used their movement to trap opponents and nullify their goals. But the margins are extremely narrow, and often only caught thanks to technology, namely semi-automated offside VAR decisions.
After 15 matches, Flick’s men have provoked 99 offsides against the other team, and benefitted from 13 goals being overturned by an offside decision. Refs are instructed not to call offside until the threat of a goal is over, so not all of these are purely VAR decisions, but it’s still an eye-popping number.