Chelsea Boss Mauricio Pochettino Weighs In On VAR Debate

Pochettino Chelsea
Pochettino Chelsea

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has weighed in on the VAR debate following the controversy surrounding VAR’s involvement in Liverpool’s disallowed goal against Tottenham last weekend.

What Did VAR Do In The Tottenham Vs. Liverpool Game?

If you haven’t heard what happened in the Tottenham Liverpool game last weekend then you must have been living under a rock, but anyway here’s the explanation.

In the 34th minute, Mohamed Salah picked up the ball and played a pass in behind the Tottenham defence into the path of Luis Diaz. Diaz sprinted onto the ball and confidently dispatched his shot past Spurs ‘keeper Guglielmo Vicario to, seemingly, put Liverpool 1-0 up.

However, the on-field linesman gave Luis Diaz offside and after a brief VAR check by Darren England, the onfield decision stood – which was, quite clearly, the wrong decision.

The full audio of the incident has since been released by PGMOL and it makes for pretty grim listening.

What has Chelsea Boss Mauricio Pochettino Said About VAR?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference before Chelsea‘s game against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, Pochettino explained that he trusts the technology, just not the person operating it, and has urged PGMOL to simply go back to basics.

“I trust in the VAR and how we manage the VAR. I trust in the car but the driver? That is the problem.

“For me it is about simplifying the situation. After many years seeing how things work the most important is to return and give the power more to the referee. To accept when it’s a foul because sometimes when it’s live the perception is different and to trust in the referees decision.

“It is really tricky when you see the action through VAR. With some situations maybe they seem bigger but sometimes people who play football know it’s not as you see in the image.

“Offside and goal line [decisions] they are the only two to keep. Of course if there is a bad aggression, yes that can go to VAR but then it’s about penalties, some action to during the game, it is for the referee.

“Trust in the referee because at the moment we are not happy with VAR, we are not happy with the people that manage the VAR but the worse is we are not happy with the referee and that is the problem.

“We need to think a little bit in the future. Maybe one step back maybe make things easier and more clear.”


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