Hi
FWIW I think MD gave it against Werner as he did not clearly play the ball. Yes he gets kicked in that action yet sticking a foot out that does not play the ball in front of an opponent can be akin to tripping. If the Leicester player was dribbling it out with multiple touches and a Chelsea player sticks his foot in before one of those touches without playing the ball it would be a nailed on trip. I would say that VAR clearly seen no contact on the ball by Werner therefore no obvious error. Had Werner clearly played the ball it would have been a penalty. That's how I saw it.
In the Bournemouth v Brentford game there was a penalty shout that was not given which in my opinion should have been. No VAR. The attacker gets to the ball first and plays it and gets kicked in the process. 1.15 on the attached video
I agree with this and I'll get to my point.
(First time post by the way!)
I can see why 99.9% of all chat among pundits, fans, twitter etc is saying that this is a nailed on penalty. I mean, Tielemans kicks Werner on the back of the leg and Werner goes down as it was a hefty kick. That seems as straight forward as it could possibly get, right? No discussion needed?
But........
But to me Tielemans has the ball. He is in possession of it. It is under his control and he decides to play the ball up field and in order to do so brings his leg back to begin his kicking motion. At this point Werner is behind Tielemans so Tielemans is not being reckless or careless. He's simply starting his backswing in order to kick the ball like any player does dozens of times a game.
Tielemans completes his back swing and naturally he begins his front swing as is necessary to actually kick the ball. I know I'm really breaking this down like a child but I think the stages of the kick play am important part in what makes a foul.
Crucially at this stage, as Tielemans is bringing his foot forward, Werner suddenly puts his leg in between Tielemans and the ball. Werner does not play or touch the ball. Nor does he seem to be attempting to. He's simply putting his foot in between Tielemans and the ball. Werner's foot and leg are now acting as a physical barrier which Tielemans can't help but kick.
The ball may be in Leicester's box but Werner is essentially the 'defender' at this moment as it is Leicester who have the ball. Werner is the one trying to make life difficult for Tielemans.
Werner has a defender has a responsibility to make his challenge legally and safely. He doesn't do so. By placing his foot between Tielemans and the ball he gets kicked. I would say this is tripping Tielemans as Werner has been sloppy and lazy. Werner must play the ball yet doesn't.
If what Tielemans done was wrong then this sets a precedent. Surely any 'defender' anywhere on the pitch trying to stop a clearance or shot just has to dangle their leg in without any touch on the ball and wait to be kicked by the player who has every right to kick it. We would see players dribble everywhere as kicking it could see them being the ones punished.
Why does Werner get to run around sticking his leg in as a defender and yet the attacking player (remember Tielemans is the one in possession) is the one at fault? Seems wholly unfair.
It is difficult for a defender to time their tackle right and get a foot on the ball during a challenge so why not just do what Werner did and dangle a leg in and hope he gets kicked?