‘Think about it’ - the World Cup rule change negatively impacting Leeds United stars

Supporters watching games at the World Cup have noticed one interesting feature in games
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Leeds United have a host of players at the World Cup at the moment. The tournament has seen an increase in added-on time at the end of both halves which has raised the question as to whether the new rule could come into the Premier League next.

Referees in Qatar have been clamping down on teams trying to waste time. Games are now paused strictly during pauses caused by injuries, VAR decisions, substitutions, penalties and red cards.

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Chairman of Fifa’s referees committee Pierluigi Collina said before a ball was even kicked that this system would come into play: “In Russia, we tried to be more accurate in compensating for time lost during games and that’s why you saw six, seven or even eight minutes added on. Think about it: if you have three goals in a half, you’ll probably lose four or five minutes in total to celebrations and the restart.”

The approach has seen fourth officials raise big numbers on their boards. 27 minutes were added on in total during England’s win over Iran, whilst Argentina and Saudi Arabia played an additional 21 minutes in their clash.

This will impact on the Leeds players currently in Qatar. USA pair Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson will lock horns with Gareth Southgate’s side this Friday as they look to cause a shock.

The States drew 1-1 with Wales last time out, with Whites attacker Dan James, currently out on loan at Fulham, starting for their opponents. Adams is the captain and is arguably the main player in the middle of the park, whilst Aaronson came off the bench and isn’t always guaranteed a start.

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Full-back Rasmus Kristensen played the full match for Denmark as they drew their opening game 0-0 against Tunisia and they are back in action against France on Saturday so he will be dreading the prospect of having to face Kylian Mbappé for even longer with the increased added-on time.

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