5 Premier League players who have been offside the most this season (2021-22)
The Premier League has its fair share of world-class strikers. With so many top managers around, English top-flight clubs have adopted varying philosophies and styles of play. But certain things remain the same.
The Premier League has a number of dynamic forwards
The high-octane, end-to-end action in the Premier League requires forwards to be athletic and technically proficient in order to succeed. With more and more teams taking to an expansive brand of football and holding a high backline, certain patterns of play tend to get repeated.
That's why we have so many forwards looking to run in behind defenses. Running off the shoulder of the last defender can be the most effective way to bypass a backline. But it has to be executed well. If the timing of the run is off, then the player will be flagged offside and a good opportunity will be squandered.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five Premier League players who have been flagged offside the most number of times in the 2021-22 season.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 11 offside calls
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United in the summer sparked off plenty of debate. The common argument seemed to be that the Red Devils weren't exactly in need of a veteran striker when they already had Edinson Cavani in their ranks.
But due to the Uruguayan international's injury problems and the rest of the side turning in underwhelming performances in the early phase, Ronaldo has been a blessing. He has come up clutch on multiple occasions this season.
Sometimes it is even hard to believe that Ronaldo wasn't a striker all his life. His positioning and ability to find the back of the net from difficult angles make him a threat like no other in the Premier League. He has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 13 appearances in the league so far this term.
However, Ronaldo has a propensity to mistime his runs in behind the defence. This could be due to the fact that he is still getting used to his new Manchester United teammates. Ronaldo has been flagged offside 11 times so far this Premier League season.
Klopp: "The game was decided then we have to bring it home, when it was pretty much over don't give them a chance but we did when we let Cristiano Ronaldo score but it was offside so we were lucky."
#4 Ivan Toney (Brentford) - 12 offside calls
Freshly promoted Brentford have surprised everyone with their courageous and enterprising brand of football. They've been able to take the game to the best teams in the land and striker Ivan Toney's form has been crucial to their exploits.
The 25-year-old has scored four goals and provided two assists in 14 Premier League appearances so far. But Toney has shown a tendency to stray offside a bit too much for manager Thomas Frank's liking.
He has been flagged offside 12 times already this season.
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