In modern football, technology isn’t just influencing refereeing.
It’s reshaping tactical execution.
Wearables that track distance and intensity, AI-driven video systems, and particularly VAR (Video Assistant Referee) are altering how managers and analysts prepare for and adapt to matches in real time.
The 2025 FA Cup semi-finals, Manchester United vs Wolves and Manchester City vs Chelsea, offered particularly revealing case studies.
These fixtures demonstrated just how much VAR delays affect pressing rhythms, defensive transitions, and strategic momentum.
How VAR Changes the Game
VAR technology aids referees in making informed decisions on the spot.
A team monitors the game in real-time from screens that capture multiple camera angles.
Interestingly, the same technologies that aid analysts influence how punters assess live betting scenarios.
Punters use online betting sites not on Gamstop to leverage the technology’s capabilities.
These sites enable in-play betting on micro-moments, allowing punters to use VAR technology with wearables to analyse the game during play so that they can make informed decisions about their bets.
This includes the wearable device’s biometric data, expected VAR outcomes, and player load metrics.
The Tactical Freeze: United vs Wolves and the Disruption of Pressing Triggers
Manchester United’s semi-final against Wolves saw a pivotal VAR intervention in the 33rd minute.
A Rasmus Højlund goal was ruled out for a marginal offside.
The review lasted just over two minutes, during which United’s attacking flow was paused, effectively stalling their momentum at a key moment.
Before the stoppage, Wolves had been under sustained pressure and struggled to maintain shape.
When play resumed, Wolves’ backline had reset, the midfield line was more compact, and pressing triggers were no longer where United expected them.
Gary O’Neil used the delay to reorganise his team and cool the match tempo without using a tactical foul or making a change.
The history of Wolves vs Manchester United is ripe with data, but VAR provides more real-time data during matches.
Rest Defence and Disrupted Structures
Rest defence, the defensive structure a team holds behind the ball when attacking, is essential when facing fast counterattacks.
Yet its effectiveness hinges on continuity and positioning.
In the second half, a review for a potential handball in Wolves’ box once again paused the game.
When the match resumed, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo were still caught in a narrowed shape, too slow to spread and protect against transition.
Matheus Cunha took advantage, peeling wide and initiating a direct break.
Although the attack didn’t result in a goal, it showcased how VAR breaks can cause micro-lapses in organisation, revealing the pros and cons of video assisted refereeing.
Still, coaches now assess how long each player can re-engage after a pause, using heart rate and positional tracking data.
Coaching Amid Chaos: Touchline Adjustments
A notable behavioural shift in the VAR era is the increase in touchline instruction during reviews.
Managers are visibly more animated, taking the opportunity to reposition players and adjust tactics.
In both semi-finals, this behaviour was evident.
Erik ten Hag signalled to both fullbacks to hold deeper during the Højlund offside review, likely because analysts were relaying fatigue data.
This mirrors timeout strategies used in sports like basketball or American football, where short communication windows are exploited for real-time tactical tweaks.
Analysts positioned in stands or data hubs provide live updates via tablets or earpieces, allowing coaching teams to treat VAR delays as unofficial breaks for tactical refinement.
Tactical Discipline After Reviews: City vs Chelsea
The second semi-final between Manchester City and Chelsea highlighted how elite clubs use these review breaks proactively.
In the 48th minute, a handball review involving Rúben Dias stalled play.
Guardiola and his assistants quickly huddled João Cancelo and Rodri to discuss pressing cues.
When play resumed, City won the ball high through a trap triggered against Enzo Fernández.
It led to a corner, one from which they scored the winner.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
City’s analysts had noted Chelsea’s pattern of short distribution after breaks.
City altered their press slightly, narrowing their lines and forcing Kepa Arrizabalaga into a wide play.
Tactical discipline and information flow made the difference.
The technologies may also improve future tactical analysis for Chelsea Women vs Man City Women for scouts.
Conclusion
The 2025 FA Cup semi-finals proved that VAR reviews are no longer passive interruptions.
They’re tactical inflection points.
From pressing traps to mental resets, top teams are now treating each delay as a mini battlefield.
Managing the moment after the whistle could be the game’s newest frontier in a world of live data and razor-thin margins.
