Crystal Palace v. The Arsenal, Saturday January 11 1230 GMT

We haven't had an aerial threat since Giroud, hence why Giroud starts over Laca in the French NT and his height.

 

In theory

But VAR is still largely interpretive, if not subjective, based on which brain is making the decision: video ref or head ref.

If there was one person or one consistent team of people at Stockley, then we'd be more prone to get consistent decisions. Not necessarily the right decisions but probably more consistent ones.

One of my big bugbears is how the EPL has decided not to use the pitch side screens. And how that has therefore taken the decision away from the HR and put it more into the hands of the VAR.

I think they will reverse this policy next season if not sooner.

 

the NBCSN studio had Mark Clatterburg (former FA ref) to get his assessment of the Auba Red after the game ended on Saturday. He said that he thought it was a red without any other context, but said that in the bigger context of fouls that had been allowed so far this season, it was totally inconsistent. There is loads of data to support our case, whether the FA will seriously look at it is a whole other matter.

 

He’s very good at some things, but he’s not a complete player. Quite frankly that appears to be Arsenal’s problem. They have a team of players that are very good at one or two things, but none of them are complete players. The trick is to put together a team that takes advantage of each player’s strengths, while minimizing their weaknesses.

 

I didn't see the Robertson tackle but aren't these the possible conclusions to that decision?...

(a) VAR was asleep at the wheel (I agree with you that that's unlikely)

(b) VAR was biased towards Liverpool or against Spurs (I know you're quite open to refereeing conspiracies but I'm not really)

(c) VAR had a different interpretation of Robertson tackle compared to the VAR for Auba tackle (seems very plausible to me)

(d) VAR for Robertson didn't want to "overrule" the HR's original decision, whereas VAR for Auba did (also seems plausible)

For me it's likely "c" and/or "d". And that gets back to my premise that the lack of consistency is closely tied to the fact that different people, different brains, reach different interpretations.

And if "d" turns out to be a significant factor, then I think that can be mitigated by the HR actually using the pitch-side screen! I.e. The HR overruling themself is a whole lot different than the VAR overruling the HR.

 

Yeah but I think it's not realistic to expect that a well-implemented VAR system will necessarily produce great consistency. Fewer errors for sure, but you're still dealing with humans not AI-machines making the final call, and that's where the inconsistency is rooted IMHO.

You will probably still disagree, and perhaps use Rugby as the example of how it can and should work. I have no way of refuting that because I don't watch any other sport and it's video-review system, like I do with footy.

So enough said, I suspect.

 

A little closer to home and more discrete...

What's the word on LT's injury?

I missed it happening at the time. All I've seen is that the boss confirmed a "muscular injury" and it's awaiting a scan.

What muscle/area was it?

 

I missed it at the time. I hope it's not too major. He was finally getting a run of games and playing to his strength.

LT is a tough little guy. So for him to be taken out due to injury, I don't suppose it's trivial.

 

It honestly didn't look bad at all. I'm a little surprised he is actually injured but you never know how you can tweak a muscle like that.

 

What happened to LT happened to my brother during a college game back in the day. Landed on his tailbone after getting undercut going for a header, got major spasms. My brother lost feeling and movement in his legs for 3-4 hours. Had to be taken to hospital via ambulance for evaluation. I was playing in the same game and left with him. One of the scariest moments of my life. Took a couple months for him to fully recover.

IOW, Torreira's injury could have been far worse, but could still be serious. Obviously hoping it's nothing to be concerned about.

 

The idea that the officials shouldn't decide the game is completely counter to what the people in charge of the game should want. The fewer fouls you call the more you reward playing outside the rules. This is why I hate Pep. His teams are so aggressive and physical on defense that they dare the officials to call fouls on every single turnover, and the refs just won't do it.