Manchester City have been found to do one thing – which Nottingham Forest recently complained about – more than any other Premier League side.
It was The Athletic who provided the data.
So, what have Manchester City done? Let’s take a look…
Manchester City adjust the ball at freekicks more than any other side
Well, Nottingham Forest were left furious during their 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Saturday, as Ivan Toney scored a freekick after moving the ball outside of the referee’s foam.
Forest have since lodged an official complaint, with Nuno Espirito Santo exclaiming after full-time: “Everyone in the room will have seen the ball displacement and the law is clear. Every goal must be checked, every situation must be checked, when it leads to a goal.”
In that respect, the Portuguese tactician will be keeping a very close eye on Manchester City when Pep Guardiola takes his treble winners to the City Ground in April.
A study from The Athletic shows that Manchester City have moved the ball eight times from 20 freekicks across all competitions so far this season – a total of 40%.
That makes Guardiola’s side the most prolific offenders in that area – although it is hardly the worst crime to commit on a football pitch, and to us, is nothing more than a little bit of the dark arts.
Guardiola will secretly be proud
Football at the highest level usually comes down to very fine margins, so any marginal gains a club can make, they should make them.
Referees rarely even notice the ball being moved outside of the foam guideline, and the issue is not something VAR pick up on either – so why not take that extra inch to ensure the freekick is in a better position?
Until VAR actually decide to add this sneaky act into their remit, Manchester City will hopefully continue to exploit it.
