For anyone who is new to the sport of football, by far and away one of the most confusing rules is the offside rule. Offside is an important part of defending in football, allowing you to force the opposition to give a foul to your team simply by running beyond your last defender. So, how does the actual rule work? In this guide, we’ll try and break down what the offside rule actually means.

So, typically the offside rule will be built around making sure that the team who is attacking cannot be beyond the last player in the opposition team. This means that you can’t simply stand behind the opposition defence, or ‘goaltend’. But what about the keeper?

Typically, the rule is that you will be judged on whether you are offside or not based on outfield player positions as they are 99% of the time in front of the goalkeeper. So, this is why the rule is written as the ‘second last opponent’ – you cannot be ahead of the goalkeeper regardless.

To be regarded as offside, any part of your head, body, or feet would need to be beyond the last opposition player. Hands and arms do not count as you cannot score with your hands or your arms. If you are level with the second-last opponent or the last two opponents, then you are considered onside.

However, it’s important to note three things here:

• You can only be ruled from offside in the opposition half; if the entire opposition team is in your half, then so long as you in your own half then you cannot be considered offside.
• It is not an offence to stand in an offside position. You can stand offside so long as you don’t get actively involved in the play.
• You can be in an offside position; so long as you don’t touch the ball or actively get in the way of an opponent, you will not be flagged for being offside.

Offside can be a very confusing rule, but so long as you remember that it comes down to the last opposition outfield player as opposed to the goalkeeper it should be easier to stay onside.

Having enjoyed a solid debut year in the English game, there was naturally a lot of excitement around Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin. Having been heavily linked with clubs back in France before coming to England, he was seen as a high-risk wide player who could offer the Magpies something different – if he could maintain his attitude.

After a mostly exemplary first season, then, hope is high on Tyneside that ASM can go to the next level. And with a year experiencing the aggressive nature of English football, he’s likely to thrive even more.

What makes him so special?

Watch him for five minutes and it soon becomes apparent why ASM is such a highly exciting talent; he can move. His dribbling is some of the most effective in the league, with his ability to pierce teams on the break making him a vital weapon for Newcastle.

He’s also great at wining fouls, which given the Toon are a solid set-piece team can only be a good thing for the player. He’s also a great distance shooter, giving him the opportunity to really crack them from distance and cause keepers problems.

Unlike most wide players today, too, his passing is excellent and he can lay teammates in as well as he can take the ball on himself. However, one thing to note is that he has a habit of holding on to the ball for a needless period of time. This can cause issues, though his natural strength means that he can hold off opponents and hold the ball up briefly.

It would be hard to say what his one stand-out attribute is outside of his pace, but he’s a very accomplished young player. With another year of development to come in England, he could really take the next step in 2020-21.

Speak to Chelsea fans about their full-back options, and one tends to garner far more excitement than the others: home-grown Reece James. An absolutely fantastic crosser of the ball, James is a technically proficient, hard-working attacking full-back who has the opportunity to really make an impact at Stamford Bridge.

He made an impressive 37 appearances last year, starting 26 of those games, and was involved in four goals – a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Expect those numbers to increase if Frank Lampard retains faith in the 20-year-old and gives him more consistent gametime.

What makes him so special?

A fantastic marauding full-back who can also defend, it’s fair to say that James is quite a complete little package. His passing and crossing are the quality you would expect of a deep-lying midfielder and a winger, respectively, and his set-pieces are absolutely outstanding. He’s a consistent player who can keep forcing chances due to his ability to take set-pieces and can work chances from open play.

Add in his solid long-distance shooting and his ability to graft back and forward, and he is a really modern full-back. He’s also good at winning fouls, forcing wingers and wide attackers to foul him and draw the result. Despite being a fine crosser, though, it’s the crispness and depth of his passing that has so many fans impressed.

What we think makes James so special, though, is his ability to never give up. He’s a hard worker; a player who really forces himself forward and puts in a great collection of deliveries. Variety, consistency, and maturity; these are the kind of attributes that make James a deeply interesting prospect.

If he can simply keep continuing to get games, 2020-21 could be his true breakout year as a first-team starter.