The
away goals rule debate is alive again, not because it is celebrating its
50th birthday this year, but because two Premier League sides were knocked
out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by the law.
Arsene Wenger has once again led the charge to abolish the rule after
Arsenal fell just short at Monaco despite a 3-3 aggregate draw.
Is he right? This debate is more relevant today than ever.
What is the away goals rule?
If the final aggregate scores are equal in a two-legged tie played home and
away, the team who has scored most goals in their away fixture will
progress.
It is currently used in the Champions League and Europa League, as well as
the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, but only after extra time has been
played.
Why was it introduced?
UEFA brought in the away goals rule in 1965, five years before penalty
shootouts were introduced into the mainstream, as a way of settling
two-legged ties without the need for an additional neutral game.
It also replaced the seldom-used toss of the coin, which famously sent
Liverpool to the European Cup semi-final in 1965 after two goalless draws
against Cologne.
The rule was aimed at encouraging teams to attack away from home, as opposed
to seeing out their away tie through overly defensive measures.
It has remained relatively unchanged for 50 years, despite travel across
Europe now being a minor disturbance where it was once a draining meander.
Who was the first team to lose out on away goals?
In the 1965/66 Cup Winners’ Cup second round, Dukla Prague, now named FK
Pribram, lost out to Budapest Honved on away goals after a 4-4 draw on
aggregate.
Dukla, 3-2 down from their home first leg, fell a goal down in the second
leg, only to force a fine comeback with two goals in the final 15 minutes.
It counted for nothing, however, and the away goals rule was born.
When has the away goals rule hit the headlines hardest?
When two sides from the same country are up against each other, travelling
time away advantage is reduced. An extreme example was Inter Milan’s
Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan in 2005 with both legs being
played at the San Siro.
But in the 1971/72 European Cup Winners' Cup, Dutch referee Laurens van
Raavens took the away goals rule into his own hands.
Rangers won their second-round first leg 3-2 at Ibrox, while Sporting Lisbon
won the second leg by the same score in Portugal.
Extra-time was correctly ordered, but when both sides scored a goal apiece
in the additional period, Van Raavens ordered a penalty shootout instead of
awarding Rangers the win with three away goals to two.
Rangers lost the shootout, but were victorious in their appeal, and went on
to win the competition that season, their one and only European triumph.
So, Wenger isn’t exactly an advocate. What has he said?
Wenger, one of football’s great thinkers and not afraid to push for change,
says the weight of an away goal is far greater than it was in 1965.
"Two English teams have gone out on away goals and that should be
questioned. The rule was created in the 1960s to favour attacking teams but
football has changed."
Those were the Frenchman’s words on Thursday, with the Monaco defeat still
sore. But Wenger has argued on away goals for years…
"It’s something I have raised many times at UEFA meetings," he said in 2013.
“We have to find a mixed formula, when maybe the away goals are only taken
into consideration if the teams are still level after extra-time.”
Wenger also believes the rule promotes defensive tactics for the home side
in their first leg game.
Virtuously, Wenger also concedes it was his side’s poor defensive
performance in their first leg against Monaco that cost them a quarter-final
place…
Who else disagrees with the rule?
Sir Alex Ferguson had his say after the annual managers’ meeting in Nyon
last year…
“Some think it is not as important as it used to be... and the attacking
emphasis on the game today means more teams go away from home and win.
“If we go back, say, 30 years, counter-attacking consisted of one or maybe
two, players. Today, counter-attacks have players flooding forward in fives
or sixes and really positive, quick passing.
'What is helping is that the state of the pitches, pitches are fantastic
nowadays, so coming out of defence with passes is much easier than it was 30
years ago, and you get a better attitude to counter-attack today than you
did 30 years ago.”
Is Wenger correct? Do first-leg games really suffer?
From 2003/04 to 2013/14 in the Champions League knockout stages, 373 goals
have been scored in the first leg, compared to 431 in the second, excluding
all goals after extra time.
For first legs, that averages 2.66 goals per game, compared to 3.07 gpg in
second legs. For whatever reason, whether teams are desperate in the final
stages of a two-legged tie or emotions get the better of players, more goals
are scored in second legs. More ammo for Wenger’s argument…
Which sides have benefited and suffered the most from away goals
over the past 10 years?
Bayern Munich have benefited on the away goal rule in the Champions League
knockout stages four times since the 2003/04 season, more than any other
side.
Monaco’s away goals progression against Arsenal was their third since 2003,
while Villarreal and Barcelona have benefited twice.
On the other end of the away goals rule, Inter Milan have gone out three
times since 2003, while Arsenal, PSG, Chelsea and Real Madrid have suffered
twice.
Have English clubs been worse off because of the rule over the past
10 years?
Yes. English clubs have gone out on away goals five times in the Champions
League since 2003, compared to four from Italy and Spain and two from
Germany and France.
France and Spain have benefited the most from away goals with five
progressions each, Germany have four wins, Italy three, England two and
Portugal one.
What are the alternatives?
Wenger believes a League Cup-style rule, where away goals count only after
extra-time, would suffice, but he would prefer extra-time and then
penalties, ignoring all away goals.
He said in 2013: “There are open discussions about it, and many people have
the same opinion as me.
“If people want to keep it I would suggest it only counts after extra time,
but to be honest, I am ready to scrap it completely and go straight to
penalties.”
Are the authorities seriously looking at making changes?
Just five months ago FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the away goals rule
should be revised as home advantage is less important in the modern game.
"The idea dates back to a time when away games were often an adventure,
involving journeys that could be long and arduous and playing conditions
would vary considerably," said Blatter.
"It is time to rethink the system."
Of course, with any major rethink, it will take time…
top