A Manchester United star expressed his concerns about the new Premier League rules at the start of the season – and Liverpool’s performance this season may have confirmed his concerns.
Liverpool and 19 other Premier League teams will receive revised guidance this year. Players have been told to take a more accurate approach to measuring downtime to reduce wasted time and provide greater exposure to the competition’s global audience.
As a result, the game was extended and Liverpool’s matches this season have seen plenty of late-game drama.
Jurgen Klopp’s side scored a 93rd-minute winner against 10-man Newcastle in August and a 96th-minute own goal and a 95th-minute equalizer against Tottenham in September.
Against Luton earlier this month.But how will the new guide affect your playtime? Added time in Liverpool’s 12 Premier League games to date adds up to 148 minutes or 1.5 “extra” games.
On average, Liverpool’s matches have been extended for 12.3 minutes (including second-half extra time for both teams), with a total of at least 99 minutes played.
The longest fixture was the aforementioned away game against Tottenham and Wolves at Molineux, where United scored in the red to win 3-1. The total time of the two games reached 106 minutes.
Extra long periods are nothing new, but what’s different this year is that we’re seeing them regularly. During the last international break, Opta Analyst found that matches this season lasted an average of 101 minutes and 33 seconds. That’s an increase of about 3 minutes and 5 seconds from last year.
As with any regular game, the intensity of downtime will inevitably vary. Three times this season, including against Brentford last season, Liverpool have managed to finish a game with a three-goal lead after 90 minutes.
However, on the other hand, they had to fight until the end against Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs, Brighton and Luton, and victory was not fully secured until extra time against Wolves or Everton.
