Arsene Wenger proposes a change to the offside rule that would mean attackers are onside if any part of their body is in line with the last outfield defender.
This doesn’t solve the fine margins issues, it simply moves it from the front of the defender to the back of the defender. You will always have to draw the line somewhere.
That was my initial thought as well, but I’ve concluded that I think it’s less dissatisfying to lose a goal because the player was actually “completely offside” than it is under the current “just barely offside” regime. Of course, you’ll still have players that are "just barely offside in the sense that they’re “just barely completely passed”, but you will remove all the offside rulings where the players are effectively side-by-side.
I guess that’s my point: The current rules put you in offside if you’re next to a defender but have a toe or nose a bit ahead. This effectively favours the defender, and forces attackers to hold more back to ensure a margin. The proposed change would move the line to favour aggressive runs, and not disallow being “next to” the defender.
I could even argue that it removes some ambiguity (not in the technical sense, the current rules are unambiguous), by clearly stating that an offside is when you are actually “completely passed” the defender. Thus, when someone is offside, you’ll never have a situation where they’re just a hair passed and still disallowed.
The proposed change would move the line to favour aggressive runs, and not disallow being “next to” the defender.
Which would force teams to make those runs not possible by playing in a low block. Defenders are not going to just accept that attackers have a huge advantage over them, you’ll have far more “boring” defence that completely shuts down that opportunity.
I honestly don’t think this would heavily defensive playstyle that heavily. Your major decisions to make as a defender stand between
Deny an area using (threat of) an offside trap.
Follow the running attacker
Position yourself to deny the area by (threatening to) intercepting the ball
No defender is banking on a player with half a foot in offside being caught for it. They either commit to an offside trap, in which case the attacker is usually placed well in offside if they’re caught, or they follow the run and try to hinder/stay ahead of the attacker. Nobody is following a run while intentionally staying 15cm behind in the hopes that the attacker will be just slightly offside.
Barcelona has been the most proficient team when it comes to the offside trap this season, but I genuinely don’t think they would be able to pull it off with these rules. The offside trap as a tactic would mostly die out. It’s simply not feasible when you’re disadvantaged by a meter, and a single mistake will likely cost you a goal.
Threatening to intercept/positioning is something all good defenders already do, it’s not really an answer.
Following the attacker is a worse solution than already being in an organised low block. Speedy attackers like Haaland or Mbappé will simply outrun most defenders, especially when given a meter headstart, so your best solution would be to not give the space for the run to happen in the first place.
I honestly can’t see a way this rule won’t lead to teams sitting far deeper defensively, which is the opposite of what most people want. You would directly punish the kind of football Barcelona is currently playing.
I think my point is that, also with the current rules, you have to make the decision of whether to fall back or commit to an offside trap before the ball is passed. I don’t think this change would affect that choice significantly, you’re already likely to concede a goal if an offside trap fails.
Of course, most modern defence is built around area denial rather than directly following runs, but once you commit to following a run you don’t wait idly for the pass and pray for an offside. I think the game would be played very similarly, but with more hairline-decisions going in the attackers favour.
This doesn’t solve the fine margins issues, it simply moves it from the front of the defender to the back of the defender. You will always have to draw the line somewhere.
That was my initial thought as well, but I’ve concluded that I think it’s less dissatisfying to lose a goal because the player was actually “completely offside” than it is under the current “just barely offside” regime. Of course, you’ll still have players that are "just barely offside in the sense that they’re “just barely completely passed”, but you will remove all the offside rulings where the players are effectively side-by-side.
I guess that’s my point: The current rules put you in offside if you’re next to a defender but have a toe or nose a bit ahead. This effectively favours the defender, and forces attackers to hold more back to ensure a margin. The proposed change would move the line to favour aggressive runs, and not disallow being “next to” the defender.
I could even argue that it removes some ambiguity (not in the technical sense, the current rules are unambiguous), by clearly stating that an offside is when you are actually “completely passed” the defender. Thus, when someone is offside, you’ll never have a situation where they’re just a hair passed and still disallowed.
Which would force teams to make those runs not possible by playing in a low block. Defenders are not going to just accept that attackers have a huge advantage over them, you’ll have far more “boring” defence that completely shuts down that opportunity.
I honestly don’t think this would heavily defensive playstyle that heavily. Your major decisions to make as a defender stand between
No defender is banking on a player with half a foot in offside being caught for it. They either commit to an offside trap, in which case the attacker is usually placed well in offside if they’re caught, or they follow the run and try to hinder/stay ahead of the attacker. Nobody is following a run while intentionally staying 15cm behind in the hopes that the attacker will be just slightly offside.
Barcelona has been the most proficient team when it comes to the offside trap this season, but I genuinely don’t think they would be able to pull it off with these rules. The offside trap as a tactic would mostly die out. It’s simply not feasible when you’re disadvantaged by a meter, and a single mistake will likely cost you a goal.
Threatening to intercept/positioning is something all good defenders already do, it’s not really an answer.
Following the attacker is a worse solution than already being in an organised low block. Speedy attackers like Haaland or Mbappé will simply outrun most defenders, especially when given a meter headstart, so your best solution would be to not give the space for the run to happen in the first place.
I honestly can’t see a way this rule won’t lead to teams sitting far deeper defensively, which is the opposite of what most people want. You would directly punish the kind of football Barcelona is currently playing.
I think my point is that, also with the current rules, you have to make the decision of whether to fall back or commit to an offside trap before the ball is passed. I don’t think this change would affect that choice significantly, you’re already likely to concede a goal if an offside trap fails.
Of course, most modern defence is built around area denial rather than directly following runs, but once you commit to following a run you don’t wait idly for the pass and pray for an offside. I think the game would be played very similarly, but with more hairline-decisions going in the attackers favour.