Video Assistant Referee - Technology system used to review referee decisions with video footage.
Introduced to reduce errors in crucial match decisions.
The referee is consulting VAR to check if that was offside.
The Gaffer
Feb 10, 2026
How often a team plays forward rather than sideways or backward. High verticality means lots of progressive passes; low verticality means lots of circulation and recycling. Neither is inherently better - it depends on what you're trying to do. Guardiola teams often have lower verticality in possession but devastating vertical moments when gaps appear. Direct teams have high verticality throughout.
Bielsa's Leeds had extreme verticality - they wanted to play forward constantly, rarely taking the safe option. It was thrilling to watch but left them vulnerable when the vertical passes didn't come off.
Robbie
Jan 30, 2026
Hitting the ball while it's still in the air, before it bounces. Harder than it looks - you don't have the stability of controlling it first. Side volleys, half-volleys (hit just after the bounce), and bicycle kicks are all variations. When volleys go in, they usually end up in highlight reels.
Marco van Basten's volley in the 1988 European Championship final remains one of football's greatest goals - he struck an acute-angle volley from Arnold Mühren's looping cross, sending it into the far corner with perfect technique.
Robbie
Jan 21, 2026