Former Manchester City manager suggests major football rule change to reinvent the game | OneFootball

Former Manchester City head coach Manuel Pellegrini has put forward an idea that would significantly rewrite the rulebook of the sport and perhaps improve football.

The Chilean managed 167 matches as Etihad Stadium boss and emerged victorious in 100 of these fixtures, drawing 28 and losing the other 39, winning the 2013/14 Premier League title and League Cup, before claiming another such crown two terms later in 2015/16.

The now-Real Betis boss has his side sitting in a respectable fifth position in La Liga, losing just two games thus far in the campaign – once to Athletic Bilbao, and once to Julian Alvarez and Atletico Madrid.

Manuel Pellegrini’s Sky Blues were known for their attacking approach enforced by the now 72-year-old during a three-year tenure, shown by the fact that Manchester City managed a goal difference of +193, scoring 373 goals across three campaigns.

Now, the former West Ham boss – as covered by COPE and translated by Sport Witness – spoke on the possible implementation of the ‘Wenger Rule’ – a proposal that would see radical changes to the current offside law.

The Frenchman once suggested a concept that would completely revamp offside, believing that an attacker should be considered onside as long as any part of a player’s body that can legally score a goal is in line with or behind the last outfield defender.

“It’s difficult to give an opinion. I think the offside rule, for me, is correct at the moment,” said Manuel Pellegrini during the recent interview. “And with VAR, it’s much easier to avoid mistakes. They’re going to start checking if it’s the whole body, if not. It’s asking for trouble.

“I think there are other rules that could be modified that would improve football, like the rule that once the ball crosses the halfway line, it can’t go back into their own half. It would make football more dynamic.”

Pellegrini continued, “Experts are looking at it, but I don’t think it’s something that will change the game. We have to make it more entertaining and more dynamic, and for that, we have to be closer to the opponent’s goal.”

The potential rule the Chilean is referring to is often referred to as the ‘backcourt’ or ‘non-retreat’ rule – a concept stating that the ball cannot recross the halfway line once the attacking team has advanced it.

The ideology behind it is that it will promote more attacking football, but the proposal has faced criticism, as the theory may lead to more risk-averse play. It also remains to be seen if a change is on the cards for the long-standing offside rule.