Four ways to tackle football's frustrating 'tactical timeout'
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez slowly sat down on the Wembley turf and signalled that he needed treatment during Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United . Referee Jarred Gillett blew his whistle, and waved the physio on to the pitch. All Chelsea 's outfield players jogged over to the technical area to get instructions.
Coaches use it as a way to regroup, or simply to stifle the opposition. Loud boos rang out from the Leeds fans inside the stadium, all too aware of this frustrating tactic. Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu was so annoyed that he tried to place himself inside the Chelsea team talk.
Officials have been powerless to prevent the stoppages happening. The International Football Association Board (Ifab) has been looking at the problem, but no law change has been agreed in time for next season. Instead, leagues will be offered the chance to carry out a series of trials.
Until a couple of seasons ago, it was usually an outfield player who would go to ground to stop play. Either to break up the momentum of the opposition by causing a stoppage in play, or for the coach to give instructions to his players. Sometimes it has been both.
English football attempted to combat this by insisting that any player who receives treatment must leave the field for 30 seconds. It had some positive results, but managers just switched focus and told the goalkeeper to ask for treatment. A team cannot play without a goalkeeper, so it became a risk-free method of impacting the opposition, or getting the opportunity to talk to your team.