Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
With the new technology now in its third season in the Premier League, let's have a short throwback at how it has been so far and will it get better?
The Premier League were quite late to introduce VAR compared to other top European Leagues. The reason being that the 14 clubs, apart from the so-called "big six", did their utmost best to keep VAR away from the League for as long as possible. VAR eventually did come into the Premier League, and the 2019/2020 season was its first season. Something that was eagerly awaited by the fans resulted in extreme outrage due to the various changes it brought to the game.
In the first two seasons of VAR, so many goals were ruled out due to handballs that weren't handballs. In the pre VAR era, those goals would have rightly stood, but now with everything being looked at in slow motion, the goals were disallowed. The nets used to bulge, fans used to go crazy, and a minute later, VAR used to kill all the emotions by disallowing a goal for rubbish reasons.
What about offsides? Similarly, for the first two seasons, offsides were also being examined to the most bottom. Offsides that weren't even clear offsides used to result in cancellation of goals. Cancelling a goal after all the celebration caused so much irritation among fans, and now celebrations were not natural anymore.
Anything significant to remember? One iconic moment took place at Old Trafford when Man United hosted Aston Villa. Tyrone Mings scored a wonderful volley in front of a full house at the famous stadium. After a goal like this, you simply expect the player to get mad in celebrating the goal. However, because of the new irritating trend, Mings went straight back into his half because he wasn't sure if his goal was going to stand or not. The goal eventually stood, but the moment was gone and what could have been a memorable moment ended up in no celebrations at all.
Things like this continued till the end of last season, and people were running out of patience for VAR. Also, not only the wrong decisions but also the amount of minutes that these reviews were taking was so frustrating for fans and the players. Multiple similar scenarios were taking place, and it was so disappointing. Former referees were requesting fans and players to give referees and VAR some more time to progress. Till the end of last season, VAR was not helping but making the game far less enjoyable for the fans.
It is not just a result of the game and bad taste in the mouth that is considered as consequences after a wrong VAR decision. With billions in circulation and the need for accurate odds and probabilities is betting business one of the most affected industries. I know I know... this problem was here before. A goal after a wrong penalty decision and there goes your betting slip.
Can anything help you? Nope, the wrong VAR or not-VAR decision are simply part of the game. Just remember that your loss meant a win for hundreds of thousands others. Bookmakers can not simply inform them that the goal was not supposed to occur. This would lead into a revolution and is simply not an option. Make sure to check the terms and conditions of your bookmaker to learn that there is actually a big section about situations like this. In the backend of odds creating or value bets processes will not change that much, the algorithms only will be fed with slightly different numbers. This however only has a small impact on the predicted football results.
So the question is: Is there a possible bright tomorrow for VAR or will it one days be cancelled? Let's find out.
What impact did VAR have on the final table? After two seasons of frustration, the start of the 2021/2022 season had some notable changes in how VAR was going to be implemented. Only six games in so far, but the changes have been quite evident. Instead of moving forward, the decisions have made the game more simple. As a result, it is now simpler for referees and better for the players. A bit of physical contact and more challenges are now being allowed, and play is not being stopped unless real fouls happen. The handball rule has also changed massively this season, and fans are loving it.
Do you remember? Earlier, if any player in the build of a goal handles the ball accidentally or intentionally, then the goal was disallowed. Due to this, many goals were cancelled when they should have stood in the last couple of seasons. This season's change means that the goal will be disallowed only if the scorer has handled the ball accidentally or deliberately. If the assistant or any player accidentally gets hit on the arm during the build-up play, then the goal will stand. This change has been evident in these six match days so far.
Likewise, the offside rule was also changed this season and has proved to be another impressive decision. Until last season, some goals that were cancelled for offside weren't even clearly offside. Also, to check that one offside, the VAR officials used to take so much time that the whole rhythm of the game used to get killed.
This season, the lines are much more clearer. Only if the offside is clearly visible during the VAR check will the goal be cancelled; otherwise, it will stand. This change in the rule has also been evident on a few occasions this season and has earned much appreciation from the fans and the players.
We have already witnessed a smoother version of refereeing so far this season. However, there are still a few ways in which VAR could be more accurate. The handball rule and the offside were two extremely depressing rules that were harming the game badly last season. The positive changes this season have received support, and it is expected to get smoother with time.
Strikers are still deliberately going down to win penalties if they feel the slightest of contacts. At the same time, strikers who don't go down and honestly stay on their feet for as long as they can don't get fouls. This is another area where VAR needs to help more, and decisions have to be more consistent. Or else, players will keep going down, and that will frustrate the fans. To not encourage players to fall easily, refereeing has got better along with the VAR checks. Suppose the decisions in these scenarios are taken more based on intensity contact and less on the visible impact on the striker. In that case, it will stop players from falling down easily. However, to make VAR better, it will take some more time, but we can say that it has been a positive edition after the changes made this season.
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