Is FIFA to Blame Instead of the Referees?

We are marching into the end of March, where the heat is starting to boil up. No matter you are in the top or bottom territory of the table, there is something to fight for to ensure a happy ending by the end of the season. When the margin could be as narrow as on goal difference, it could take less than a moment of slack or a minor mistake to cause a sailing ship to wreck. However, if the wrecking is caused by mistakes from a third-party, it is something too hard to swallow.

Although the Linesman has been quite critical towards officials' performance, to pull off a ten out of ten performance at the pace of modern football is close to impossible. Going forward, increasing pairs of eyes, as well as the long-awaited goal-line technology will be brought into the game, but before that, referees in the Premier League had a horrific weekend that only prompts more questions about the raw abilities of the referees themselves.

OUCH!

Massadio Haidara was the notable victim of the week. The young fullback got a full taste of physical English football since joining Newcastle in January and was beaten by Calum McManaman's karate kick. Mark Halsey did not lie as his view was blocked by Yanga-Mbiwa, but one would wonder how the linesman Matthew Wilkes could have missed it completely, despite having his eyes on the incident.

There was more nightmare for Halsey when Figueroa's handball following a corner was not spotted, which eventually led to Wigan's winning goal. It was not the most obvious handball ever, but one would agree officials should not have missed the crucial call in the dying minutes of the match, let alone it was the experienced Mark Halsey.

Lee Probert did not have an enjoyable afternoon at Goodison Park either. Steven Pienaar put himself into trouble with a needless stud-first tackle on Javi Garcia, which a second booking was a no-brainer, but the referee’s decision to award a freekick following a mysterious handball call certainly annoyed Roberto Mancini.

Whether Leon Osman's arm had brushed the ball outside the box was hard to tell via replays, Mr Probert should be rewarded with a standing ovation should he be able to spot this in real-time. What was more worrying was the lack of signals from the linesman on the more obvious handball by Marouane Fellaini. The man who had the best view Fellaini’s position never stood up to influence Lee Probert's dubious decision. Bearing in mind how Manchester City would push for a victory if they had pulled it level through a penalty with five minutes to go, a single mistake indeed has potentially an enormous impact to the result of the match.

Chicharito is not Lee Probert's biggest fan

Sunderland was determined to shake off their recent slump and Chris Hoy had given them a big helping hand at the Stadium of Light. Mark Bunn was harshly sent off for handling the ball outside the box, with the benefit of doubt given in Sunderland's direction. What sent Norwich manager Chris Hughton fuming was the referee's decision to neglect Danny Rose's handball in the box. The Canaries still managed to earn a point with 10 men, although Hughton would be unhappy about the dissimilar treatment to handball for both teams.

Mark Bunn dejected, Chris Hughton frustrated

There are two things in common for the three debatable matches mentioned above: 1) the involved referees are well-known to be error-prone and; 2) none of the incidents could be resolved by goal-line technology. American sports have long adopted video replays to assist officials' calls. Cricket, one of the most traditional British sport, has turned to the help of slow-motion replays since 2009. The same technology, Hawk eye, has already been applied to tennis matches, one of the quickest sports, since 2006. Global sports are moving forward with the modern development, while football is held back by the superior president of the Football Association. Football fans are still not quite at the end of the tunnel. The quality of games will continue to be hampered by various human factors, until the day technology can rightly be utilised on the football field.   

Roberto Mancini's elementary mistakes may have cost City's title

Everton put together an inspirational performance to beat Manchester City at Goodison Park. They were undoubtedly by far the better team of the afternoon, but Roberto Mancini's tactical errors helped to make David Moyes' mission to recover from the shocking FA Cup exit easier than thought.

Starting Aleksandar Kolarov

This had to be the key mistake Roberto Mancini made that cost the match. Two clean sheets in a row with Gael Clichy starting at left back was not convincing enough. Instead, the Italian chose to start Kolarov, a decision maybe only Seamus Coleman would agree. Regardless of whether Mancini was playing a 4-3-1-2 or 3-4-1-2, Kolarov obviously is far from capable to defend the flank on his own, let alone in such a physical clash.

Kolarov (right) was out-matched by Coleman the whole afternoon

While James Milner and Pablo Zabaleta were able to quiet Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines, an identified strength of Everton's attack, Kevin Mirallas and Seamus Coleman had an enjoyable afternoon torturing the Serbian defender. Mirallas nearly caught Kolarov retreating late following a cross, only to be ruled offside questionably. Seamus Coleman was also clinical in the build-up to Leon Osman's fantastic goal. David Silva's lack of incentive to track back made things worse , but Kolarov also looked clueless and even uninterested in his own defence duty.

Having made no contribution in his own strength --- dead-balls delivery, Kolarov was unarguably the weakest link of Manchester City this afternoon. If Mancini was to complain about all dubious decisions against his team, maybe he should first reflect on this self-destructive decision of his own.

Porous dead-balls defence

It is a well-known fact that Everton is more than competent in the air. Coupled with delivery specialists like Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar, corners and freekicks are a threatening weapon of Everton's attack. Roberto Mancini chose to stay with his zonal defence and made no adjustment towards Everton's towering height, despite already missing his big men Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure.

None of the conceded goals came directly from freekicks or corners, but City was constantly on the back-foot in dead-balls. Matija Nastasic luckily escaped from a penalty call after Marouane Fellaini controlled the ball with his chest with ease following a corner. Sylvain Distin also narrowly missed a clear header in the second half when Toffees was down to 10 men. Although it went unpunished, putting the defenders and goalkeeper under pressure throughout the match is never ideal.

The absence of two key figures made City's bench even thinner

Indecisive and confusing substitutions

Jose Mourinho did not think twice to put Luka Modric into the lineup after Nani was sent off. Meanwhile, Mancini wasted 10 minutes before he decided to arm up his attack, and only after Moyes made a counter substitution by bringing in Steven Naismith, while City's best chance of the day came in that 10 minute interval, which Jan Mucha denied with a super double-save.

Choices were far from adequate on the bench and the seldom-used Scott Sinclair was the only forward available. Sinclair's entry was predictable, though maybe a bit late, but taking off Kolo Toure for Gael Clichy in the last ten minutes did not bring any real effect to City's attack. It was unclear what City's formation was at the final whistle. More importantly, leaving the frustrated Edin Dzeko on the field was questionable. Dzeko had been disgusted by referee's calls and never linked up with David Silva nor Carlos Tevez. Sometimes, it would not work by merely slotting all your available forwards into the pitch. 

He may be better at playing rather than managing

Italian football is often about strong discipline and measured tactics. Roberto Mancini, being an attacking midfielder himself in his playing career, seems to incline in being creative in his tactical game, which has been criticised not for the first time. Being 15 points away from Manchester United, City looks destined to go through a title-less season. Debates arise again on whether Roberto Mancini is "qualified" to be Manchester City's manager. How likely will he still at Etihad Stadium next season? It is not long until we have the answer. 

Liverpool's patience may finally start to pay off

They are no longer the team with the most top-flight titles. They are no longer in the Big Four. Even the Merseyside is painted in blue this season. King Kenny could not restore the order. All hopes are on Brendan Rodgers. His erratic change in playing style led to some comical errors at Anfield, but it seems the patience of the fans has finally paid off. Liverpool shakes off their miserable start of the season and is back in the race for a European spot. Luis Suarez may be the star of the team, but Brendan Rodgers' contribution should never be written off.

Kenny Dalglish's British imports were far from effective. Brendan Rodgers did not think twice and released Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll, who both do not quite fit Rodgers' short-passing game, even this left him with only two senior strikers --- Borini and Suarez. Rodgers waited patiently until January and brought in Daniel Sturridge. The transfer raised doubts from Sir Alex Ferguson, but Sturridge proves him wrong and was only one goal short to embarrass the legendary manager at Old Trafford. Comparing to his fellow countryman Theo Walcott, Sturridge shows he is a more capable and dangerous striker. Although the partnership with Suarez has yet flourished, Sturridge offers more variety in Liverpool's frontline and is able to liberate Suarez.

It's not easy to get Suarez like someone. Coutinho maybe an exception

Apart from refuelling strikers, Brendan Rodgers rightly addressed the problem of creativity shortage at Anfield. Nigging Coutinho from San Siro appears to be a bargain deal as the Brazilian wasted no time to show his flair and football intelligence in his home debut against Swansea. Playing Coutinho on the left prevents him from being the centre of attention of the rough English defence, but not limiting his freedom to create in order to share the workload of aging captain Steven Gerrard (who has played every minute of Liverpool’s league games so far). Brendan Rodgers clearly has thought it through on how to utilise his acquisitions in the transfer market.

Brendan Rodgers does not only work hard in scouting and acquiring new players. His squad management ability is also of exceptional quality. Having not the deepest bench in Premier League, the former Swansea manager enhances the squad depth and promotes competition by actively introducing young players. Andre Wisdom, Suso and Raheem Sterling are given a lot of first-team opportunities, let alone important matches against the top teams. While they might not get everything right at the first go, Rodgers tolerates the individual learning curve and does not easily step back despite the fans' criticism. Having enormous backing from the manager, the youngsters' confidence would only grow and are increasingly contributing to the team. Raheem Sterling is notably the most successful promotion of Rodgers this season, having even earned his first senior international cap last November.

The reborn Stewart Downing (right)

The focus on youth development does not only benefit the youth players, but also reinvigorated the seniors. Stewart Downing, after a hugely disappointing debut season, was asked to play at left-back if he wanted to survive in the team. A surprise switch of role between Jose Enrique and Stewart Downing was rewarded with some good results. All of a sudden, Downing is like a new leaf, playing with enthusiasm and confidence, regaining the starting position on right wing.

Being able to inspire the players (maybe except Nuri Sahin) is a good sign. Getting the tactics right is also a key to Brendan Rodgers' recent success. Blending Sturridge and Coutinho into the team in a short period of time is no easy task. Getting service from Downing also seems to be miraculous. He also dropped the under-performed Joe Allen, one of his favourite players, to the bench. The healthy Lucas is indeed a better fit as a holding midfielder to accompany Steven Gerrard, and he had definitely quieted the red-hot Gareth Bale in the victory over Tottenham last weekend.

Tough start was rewarded with all smiles

Once plummeted to near the relegation zone, Liverpool is back in the top of the table and is a serious contender for European football. They played some good football at the Etihad and Emirates earlier in 2013, despite being unable to hold onto the lead; but certainly it brought them more self-belief. Having not got an overwhelming support from the fan at the start of the season, Brendan Rodgers has overcome lots of barriers and led Liverpool to a strong comeback (Chelsea fans might want to learn from them). Well done to Channel 5 for the anticipation to film the documentary "Being: Liverpool". It is indeed such a roller-coaster but entertaining season for Liverpool.

Barcelona proves they are still the team to beat

Questions were raised about the superiority of their reign and it seems the fairy tale has ended with the departure of Pep Guardiola. Barcelona, though, proves they are still one of the best teams in Europe by beating AC Milan at home and retains their chance to revenge against Real Madrid in Champions League.

With a clear target in mind, Barcelona showed up from the very first minute and played with purpose rather than trying to record 500 passes more than their opponents. It should not be a surprise to AC Milan, but Barca players' hunger and the jeering in Camp Nou did not make life easy for the Italians, especially Ignazio Abate, whose clumsy tackle on Pedro and powerless back-pass nearly led to a suicidal ending only a quarter of an hour into the match.

What might have also unsettled the Italian right back was his unexpected opponent in the match. While David Villa usually plays on the left when starting with Messi and Pedro, it was actually the more speedy Pedro wandering around the left flank. Nevertheless, it was the decision, either Roura's or Vilanova's, to put Villa back in the central striker position which had shaken Milan's defence.

Messi celebrating his second goal of the night

Clearly still not at his best after recovering from injury, David Villa did not create a single constructive touch in the first half, but he was the behind-the-scene hero for Barca's comeback. His presence between Christian Zapata and Philippe Mexes diluted Milan's attention on Messi. With Xavi also back in the lineup to orchestrate the midfield, Massimo Ambrosini and Mathieu Flamini were kept busy enough that allowed the Argentine to find lots of spaces in the hole. By the time the Rossoneri took a sigh of relief at half time, Messi already managed to score a brace to reset the tie. The decision to give up their "false no.9" tactics paid off.  

Gabriele Marcotti got the point spot on --- clean sheet was definitely the vital factor for Barcelona to qualify. Regardless of the fitness of captain Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano was indeed the better choice of central defender on the night. Having to play a high defence line and at the same time being conscious of counter attacks, which had cost them dearly in both El Clasicos last week, Mascherano's younger legs and sense of positioning as a defensive midfielder appeared to fit perfectly to the game plan.

Niang was nearly the hero for Milan

The absence of the in-form Giampaolo Pazzini apparently did Barcelona a huge favour, but it was his substitute, M'baye Niang, came the closest to deny Barcelona. Starting Flamini, Ambrosini, Kevin Boateng and Riccardo Montolivo in midfield, counter attacks were the sole attacking weapon in their pockets. Niang managed to break through Barca defence for once and got the best chance of the night. The youngster kept his nerve and fired past Victor Valdes, but the post chose to be the enemy rather than the ally this time.

The potential equaliser would mean Barca needed three more goals to advance. Instead, Messi did not wait long after Niang's miss to make it 2-0 and levelled the aggregate score. Sometimes, an inch or even a centimetre could mean a lot in football.

It was only a matter of time when the winning goal came. Massimiliano Allegri sent Robinho, Sulley Muntari and Bojan Krkic for the last attempt to regain the upper hand. Bojan and Robinho created an invaluable chance to score an away goal, but Jordi Alba stood in their ways to ensure it was a zero in Milan's scoreline. David Villa and Jordi Alba celebrated their goals emotionally on both sides of Robinho's chance and Barcelona got the last laugh with a convincing 4-0 victory.

On the brink of elimination, Barcelona showed the desire and determination that once made them invincible. Dignity and reputation were restored at Camp Nou. AC Milan may feel they have thrown away an useful lead. Nonetheless, one would agree there are only a handful of teams in Europe that are capable to fend off the Catalans this night.