Chelsea vs Arsenal: What’s the point of VAR anymore?
Let’s get this out of the way right now: Chelsea was abysmal against Arsenal. Once again, the Blues let the worst Arsenal side in decades—which is a feat in and of itself—exit with three points. The Gunners did the league double over their west London counterparts for the first time since the early 2000s and snapped a nine-year losing skid at Stamford Bridge. All of this while they have been fighting for a spot in the top half of the table.
Chelsea by no means deserved to win. Thomas Tuchel’s men were by far the better side, but they simply made too many mistakes to reclaim third in the table. Maybe it was exhaustion or maybe it was a direct result of making seven changes to the starting XI from the weekend. One thing in this situation is certain: VAR did the Blues no favors as it once again made Premier League spectators question its place in the game.
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Chelsea was horrendous, but if VAR had done its job, the Blues would’ve earned at least a point.
Since its introduction into the English top flight last season, VAR has been at the center of countless controversies. The technology isn’t the issue though, it’s those controlling it. We’ve heard the handball rule tweaked numerous times, we’ve seen offsides given by a fraction of an inch when defenders haven’t appealed and we’ve watched games being taken over by a man behind a monitor. It’s incredibly difficult to ruin the sport they call the beautiful game, but the partnership of VAR and clueless English officials is doing its best.
The worst part isn’t the wait, it’s not the agonizing realization that a last-minute equalizer will be ruled out or even the fact a phantom second yellow cannot be reviewed. It’s the inconsistency.
Late in the second half at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, Christian Pulisic fired the equalizer into the back of the net. A flag from the official and subsequent VAR review crushed those celebrations before they even really began. That’s not the issue though—Pulisic was miles off, it’s not even up for debate—it’s the fact VAR had gone missing for the first 70-odd minutes of the match.
The handball rule has been a point of emphasis this season. Honestly, I’m still not sure if I know exactly what constitutes a handball and what doesn’t, but I’m confident Chelsea should’ve had a penalty right after conceding. Rob Holding could’ve even been sent off for his actions that denied Mason Mount of a sure goal. VAR was nowhere to be found as a check did not even take place, despite multiple appeals and contact between the defenders arm and the ball inside the box. Kai Havertz then did his best to earn the Blues a penalty too. On multiple occasions, he received the ball in the box and made a darting run toward goal before being subsequently swept off his feet by reckless challenges. For what it’s worth, the first incident was the only legitimate penalty claim I believe he had, as the second featured a rather heavy touch. Regardless, the incident was another penalty shout that the officials in charge of VAR simply refused to review.
As I mentioned earlier, these squandered chances at penalties do not excuse or explain Chelsea’s struggles on Wednesday. Thomas Tuchel got his team selection and substitutions all wrong. When a bad day at the office for the gaffer is combined with a stubborn opposition defense, missed opportunities and an inexplicable error, it’s bound to end in defeat. VAR simply did nothing to help the Blues’ case, which shouldn’t be the reality when there are millions of dollars on the line in Champions League qualification.
Next. Chelsea vs Arsenal: Quick observations from an atrocious performance. dark
English referees and VAR have been issues for awhile, but they’re just now beginning to pick and choose what is and isn’t reviewable. Andre Marriner largely escapes blame for Wednesday’s theatrics because one man cannot see what is going on in 22 pockets of space across the pitch all at once. That being said, what’s the point of having three other officials and video review technology if they aren’t able to function properly? The Premier League is the greatest league in the world, but it is currently lagging behind the rest of the globe in terms of officiating.