Football has undergone a lot of changes of late, with many of those being brought on by the pandemic. VAR and additional substitutions have been two of the biggest recently, but AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has shared a thought that would revolutionise the game.
Even more so than Arsene Wenger’s dream of biennial World Cups, Pioli’s idea is one that would transform Serie A and football into something completely different, taking inspiration from basketball.
“If we want more attacking football, then there should be a rule that prevents teams going back into their own half once they’ve crossed the halfway line,” Pioli said at his press conference on Friday, ahead of AC Milan’s Serie A trip to Spezia.
As has been pointed out by Serie A commentator and conference interpreter Patrick Kendrick, though, the comments might just have been tongue in cheek.
Having raised the topic after stating his support of the decision to allow five substitutions, Pioli continued to say that, if it were up to him, “the clock would stop when the ball goes out of play and I’d bring in a time-out in the first half”.
It may well have been tongue in cheek. He also said “If I had my way the clock would stop when the ball goes out of play and I’d bring in a time-out in the first half” https://t.co/hlVdvdkbLg
— Patrick Kendrick (@patrickendrick) September 24, 2021