First-half blitz secures Arsenal victory despite a second-half fightback from Ange Postecoglou men
Arsenal got the better of Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane yesterday as Mikel Arteta’s side maintained the lead at the top of the table, although that didn’t come without controversy as the Lilywhites were denied a goal for what was a marginal offside, which has raised debates among Spurs fans and beyond about VAR and its role in influencing the outcome of the games.
The Gunners put a foothold on the game in the first half, scoring all three of their goals in the first forty-five as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (OG), Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz found themselves on target. Spurs did come all guns blazing in the second half with a couple of goals from Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min (pen); however, the fightback was too little, too late after the first-half damage.
Contrasting views on VAR, is that lessons learned or technology overload?
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has questioned the calls of the officials in the game and their decisions in order to prevent their authority from being undermined.
After a first half that saw an extended injury time owing to multiple VAR reviews, the former Celtic boss, who was reprimanded during the game, acknowledged that a number of instances have resulted in excessive use of technology.
Following Arsenal’s game against Newcastle United, where Gunners gaffer Mikel Arteta called Newcastle’s winning goal against the Reds from North London following three VAR checks a “disgrace,” The Gunners issued a statement following that game, calling for the refereeing standard to be “urgently addressed.”.
However, when Ange was quizzed about Arteta’s comments, he came in defence of the officials and spoke about respecting the ref’s decisions. However, karma comes to bite back and show true colours, doesn’t it? That’s exactly what happened after yesterday’s game when the Australian tactician backed the criticisms of VAR and the referee, Michael Oliver.
Ange Postecoglou questions VAR effectiveness and officials’ authority
Speaking to SkySports, Tottenham’s boss said:
“There doesn’t seem to be a great call for us to go back to accepting the referee’s decision in the majority of cases.”
“I understand goal-line technology. That’s a simple one, as that came in and no one’s complained about it. But in searching for this utopia where there are no wrong decisions in a game, that doesn’t exist, and it never will.
“But it’s the road that everyone wants to go down. Some of it’s self-inflicted because we all complain about decisions every week. It’s nothing new, but in the past, we got on with it. We didn’t find the need for a miracle cure for it.
“I don’t think that’s a viable option, as we seemed to have opened that door and allowed technology in. Now, we want transparency, and I can guarantee the next thing is that we will have referees mic’d up explaining decisions.”
“There’s plenty of other sports you can watch where referees do that, but I don’t think it should be in football. But I’m in the wilderness on that one.”
“Premier League managers should just manage their football clubs. I’ve never and will never talk to referees about the rules of the game. I was taught that you grow up and respect the officials.”
“Now, managers look for ways to bend the rules. Tell me what the rule is, and I guarantee you will have a room full of managers processing ‘how can I get around this”
“What I want are the best officials who are always upskilled to officiate the game, but it’s so hard for referees to officiate these days. Their authority is constantly diminishing.”
“I grew up afraid of referees like they were policemen. I’m old school; I’m from a bygone era. I just like the purity of the game, but part of it is my problem. I’ve got to embrace it and find a way to work with it, but it goes against everything I want from my team.”
“I want my team to play fast, attacking, high-tempo, go-at-it football. If we get a red card and a penalty against us, so what? Let’s cop it, and let’s go again. But we have to stand around for two minutes to work out if someone was offside or not.”
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“Let the linesman make the decision. Remember when it used to be the benefit of the doubt for the attacker? We all lived with it. The game didn’t collapse. But I’m an old man shouting at the clouds.”
While Ange Postecoglou bemoans Tottenham’s vows on match officials, the club needs to focus on the conclusion of the season and try to finish in the top four.
