Used properly, VAR isn’t totally awful

Is there the tiniest, slightest, faintest little glimmer of hope that VAR might actually not be entirely evil?

In a week when a new survey suggested two-thirds of football fans in England believe introducing the video assistant referee system has made the game less enjoyable, I actually saw the first example of how it can be a force for good if used properly.

During Sheffield United’s game with Crystal Palace last Saturday week, Joel Ward was shown a straight red card for a dodgy-looking challenge on Enda Stevens. At full speed it looked nasty, but replays showed that Ward had pretty much missed his opponent completely.

The VAR people pointed this out to on-field referee Andrew Madley, who went over to check the incident on the pitch-side monitor before jogging back on to the pitch and downgrading the booking to a yellow card.

The right decision was made, the player was allowed to stay on the pitch, and the whole thing took less than a minute to sort out.

That was VAR working the way God intended.

Unfortunately, examples such as this have been few and far between so far this season, with the video system mostly used to decide a player has been offside by the width of a mosquito’s eyelash.

And that is equal parts unnecessary and annoying.

But if we can limit VAR so it only intervenes in incidents where the match officials have made a clear and obvious mistake (the original intention of the system as I understand it) and ensure the on-field referee is still the ultimate decision maker, then we might just be able to make a silk purse out of this particular sow’s ear.

Because, while the point of this piece was meant to be me sounding positive about VAR, the fact that the vast majority of fans in that aforementioned survey think it has made football less enjoyable must be of serious concern to the footballing powers.

At the end of the day, football is a product – a unique one, admittedly – but nevertheless a product. It may have millions of dedicated and repeat customers, but if those customers believe the product has been diminished and devalued, then all sorts of alarm bells will have surely gone off in the Premier League marketing department.

I understand, of course, that trying to improve your product is admirable. But if your attempts at making things better only end up making them worse, you need to hold up your hand, admit you got it wrong and make changes.

At the moment it’s all a bit ‘New Coke’ – a failed attempt at improving something that didn’t really need fiddling with and which the customers have rejected.

Interestingly, the survey also said that a whopping 74 per cent of fans don’t actually want to see the system scrapped but want modifications to the way it is used.

At the moment it’s all a bit ‘New Coke’ – a failed attempt at improving something that didn’t really need fiddling with and which the customers have rejected

Although I find it hard to believe that three-quarters of supporters feel that way, maybe they do. Maybe they see something in it that gives them the belief that it can work well.

Up until last weekend’s game I would have thought that impossible. But if used properly, on a limited basis and in a highly transparent way, then maybe, just maybe, it does have a place in football.

To kid or not to kid?

So am I right in saying that Jurgen Klopp has given himself a bit of a dilemma? Something to contemplate as his sits with his feet up during the oh-so-precious winter break?

I am, of course, referring to the FA Cup.

As we all know, Jurgen decided to make a stand about the number of games his team was playing by sticking two fingers up at the oldest knockout competition in the world, fielding his under-23s in the fourth round replay with Shrewsbury Town and not even bothering to go to the match himself.

All within his rights, of course, and something that a lot of people probably even agree with (although I am not one of them).

However, the under-23s only went and won the game, meaning Liverpool will be facing Chelsea in the next round for a quarter-final slot. And there is the dilemma.

Does he continue making his point and play the under-23s against their London rivals or does he go all out for it and actually try to win the match?

Let’s be honest, the title is all sewn up already, so why would he not want to add the FA Cup to his growing list of achievements this season? If I were a Liverpool fan I would expect no less.

Then again, by playing the kids in the last round he essentially dismissed the importance of the FA Cup, so playing a full-strength team would be somewhat hypocritical at this point. Not to mention a bit unfair on the kids who did the club proud.

It’s a bit of a pickle. But I’m pretty sure he will find a way around it, probably with some hybrid team made up of first team players and under-23s.

If only there had been some way to avoid all this, like, I don’t know, not letting his team throw away a two-goal advantage in the first game against the not-so-mighty Shrewsbury maybe…

A break too far

Just a final note on the Premier League’s winter break.

If we really are talking about this rest being in the players’ best interests, surely they should all be made to stay in England for their time off rather than dispersing to all four corners of the planet?

When you consider they aren’t getting a massive amount of time off, spending a chunk of that break travelling to far-off destinations and all the associated jet lag that goes with it can’t be entirely sensible.

I mean it’s not like they can’t go swimming or spend time on the beach in England, is it? The players are used to taking ice baths, so a dip in the North Sea should be entirely acceptable…

james@findit.com.mt
Twitter: @maltablade