Wenger suggests rule change that would have helped Arsenal vs PSG | OneFootball

Arsene Wenger has once again proposed a change to the offside rule to allow attackers to be onside if any part of their body is in line with the last outfield defender.

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Former Arsenal manager and current FIFA head of global development Arsene Wenger has proposed a change to the offside rule to mean players would be onside unless their entire body was beyond the second-last player on the defending team.

As it stands, you’re offside if even a toe pokes beyond the second-last player on the defending team (which is usually the last outfield defender, given the goalkeeper is generally the furthest player back).

But Wenger wants to change this so that you wouldn’t be offside until your entire body was ahead of that last defensive line.

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Trials of the new system have already taken place in Italian youth football, and further trials will happen before a final decision, which could arrive in 2026.

But football law-makers IFAB will have the final say. IFAB have agreed to further trials, but they want to determine whether the changes “foster attacking football and encouraging goalscoring opportunities while maintaining the game’s attractiveness”.

Any potential change would only be made after consultation with football stakeholders and advisory panels, which include former players and referees.

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Contrary to what some believe, this change wouldn’t eliminate tight offside checks and overturns. You’re still going to get players millimetres offside in many cases, likely just as many as we do now.

The difference is that the attacker isn’t punished for being just marginally ahead of the defender. They have to have their whole body ahead before they’re pulled up on it.

Perhaps that could be a positive change, as the current rules mean the defender always has the positional advantage (or at least positional equality) when the ball is played. The new rules would mean either player could get an advantage with clever movement.

Disallowed goals like Mikel Merino’s against PSG would become legitimate, as part of Merino’s body overlapped with the last defender when the ball was played. Not that you should let that sway your opinion.