Chelsea were extremely lucky to pick up all three points against Newcastle United last night.
Chelsea have never been one to shy away from controversy. They’re known to dive, as are a lot of the top six teams. Yesterday was no exception, as Marcos Alonso made the most of a clean tackle inside the Newcastle box.
The referee gave a penalty decision right away, which was extremely unfair on the Magpies. Obviously, Eden Hazard converted from the spot. The Belgian has now provided two assists and scored one goal in his opening three appearances; he was never in doubt.
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But something which was in doubt, was the minds of Premier League fans across the globe. Why hasn’t VAR been introduced to the Premier League yet?!
It’s a hot topic of discussion right now, especially following the mixed reception at the World Cup. I take the stance that it’s a positive for football, and it helped to retain order at the World Cup. There were a few controversial calls which couldn’t have been made without the help of the video assistant referees.
I feel like most of the opposing arguments against the technology stem from the approach, rather than the technology itself. There were a few instances where play was recalled at Russia, and the fans were left frustrated at the time taken to make decisions.
Obviously, Premier League fans won’t react well to this – It doesn’t take much to anger the vocal fans. Another thing which strikes me about the English crowd, is that we don’t like new things being implemented. The average fan relies on tradition, while many younger supporters are in favour of change.
This is why it’s taken Premier League clubs so long to decide in favour of the new technology, despite it having the potential to benefit them massively. One thing’s for sure, Chelsea wouldn’t have been given the penalty yesterday if VAR was called upon.
It’s been trialed in England during the domestic cups, but nothing has come fully into fruition yet. It won’t take long though, so don’t be fooled. This technology is taking over the football scene, and it won’t be long until the Premier League is forced to endure the change.
I don’t think introducing VAR would be a bad thing. In fact, I think it will be quite the opposite. But of course, there are plenty of arguments against the technology. Drop them in the comments section below – let’s start a balanced argument!