The referee was also in the limelight in Saturday evening’s game: After Union’s away win in Leipzig, referee Daniel Schlager answered journalists’ questions.
He had his hands full on Saturday evening: referee Daniel Schlager.
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RB Leipzig lost 2-1 to Union Berlin. And in Saxony the marmot greeted – because the last five league games against the Irons all ended 1:2. Not only in the opinion of RB coach Marco Rose, however, the game would have given at least a 2: 2. The biggest point of contention was the 78th minute, in which Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen had scored the supposed equalizer.
After consulting the video referee, referee Daniel Schlager decided to retrospectively deny the goal. What happened? Before the Dane scored, the ball flew in a high arc in the direction of the Union defense. Aissa Laidouni, over whom the ball had sailed, went a little unmotivated with the heel. The attempt at clarification failed completely. Timo Werner, who was offside, assumed that the offside position had been lifted. The national striker then initiated Poulsen’s goal.
But video assistant Tobias Reichel gave Schlager a sign. He looked at the scene in the review area and decided offside.
He explained why afterwards on the “Sky” microphone. “When I see the pictures, for me it’s a non-controlled play by the defender,” Schlager began his explanations: “You can’t play the ball in such a controlled manner with the heel. He sees the ball, but in the end where he puts it If he plays the ball with his heel, he does it in an uncontrolled way because he doesn’t see the ball. That was the deciding factor for me when I said, that’s an offside position for me.”
“He hasn’t had time to turn around and get his bearings”
Schlager reported on a new rule interpretation since the summer. “You have to differentiate between the terms: conscious or controlled. It was definitely conscious. But for me, the player can’t play the ball in a controlled manner if he doesn’t see it.” That is crucial in the assessment. “At the moment he can’t play the ball any other way than with the heel,” said Schlager. “He hasn’t had time to turn around and get his bearings.”
An assessment that RB coach Rose in particular did not want to share afterwards. Max Eberl also sought a conversation with Schlager. After the game, the Leipzig sports director came into the referee’s cabin. “We discussed it factually,” said Schlager, who added: “I also understand his arguments about playing consciously, but as I said, that hasn’t been a criterion since the summer. It’s about control. And I think that he’ll understand our point of view then also understood.”
