since you offered, can you explain how being offside works? I have always been confused about how why sometimes being a toe out of line is called and sometimes it isn't.
Hooooo that is a question huh.
First, the basics, the offside rule. My coach used to call it the last defender rule, the basic idea is that a member of the other team can't stand in the other team's defensive zone past the last defender.
(pardon my crude doodles)
The last spot where a player from the other team (Red circles) can stand while being ON sides is the green line, where the last 2 players before the goalkeeper are standing.
If the rule didn't exist, the other team would have a player standing by the goal waiting for a pass, kinda like this
It's also meant as a strategy. Forwards have to work to shake off their defenders or stand in such an inconspicuous place that when through passes happen, they'll make quick plays towards goal
THIS RULE is why people, like me, who always watch the backline get so angry when they're basically on top of the goalie! If your last defender is standing at the box (see doodle below) there's SO MUCH OPEN SPACE between the midfield and the goal that the other team can find ways to the goal
See all the space between the green lines and the middle vs the middle and the goals? SO MUCH OPEN SPACE!!!
For setpieces it's also why theres a line of players mixed with the other team. The other team doesn't have an option but to stand where the defense is so they won't be offside.
NOW, TECHNICALLY a player can stand offsides all they want and NOT get called. The only time when it'll be checked is when they receive a pass. SOMETIMES a player will stand onside, right with the last defender, until a pass comes through. As soon as the ball is kicked, if you're standing onside, you can run like hell and get that ball to the goal, because at the moment of the kick you were onside.
THE REASON WHY SOMETIMES BEING A TOE OFF GETS CALLED AND SOMETIMES IT DOESNT, HONESTLY? DEPENDS ON THE LINE REF, OR THE VAR NOWADAYS.
When we used to say refs are blind is bc it would be such a BLATANT offside that you didn't even need slowmo to see it. But honestly the line refs have it hard, they always run with the last defender (which is why there's a line ref on each side—ref on the left covers your team from mid to goal and ref on the right covers the other team from mid to goal),
And sometimes it's hard to see if the attacker really was a toe ahead or not. WITH VAR, they can check exactly where someone was standing, so calling it offside is more sensitive now.
Honestly its good tech to have when the offsides and fouls are obvious but the ref really can't tell, AND SOMETIMES they are enraging bc they really call offsides when a NAIL is off the line
I hope that helped? Let me know!
