After pushing the Premier League title so close last season to only then taste disappointment, manager Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side are battling hard in the 2022/23 campaign to right that wrong and try and go one step further at this time of asking.
As we know, the battle at the top of the Premier League table is close and can basically be cut by a knife given the points difference that exists between ourselves, Manchester City and Liverpool, but we are certainly more than in with a shout as things stand right now. There are various bonuses for online casinos available, but we are still at the table.
One thing Arteta has become very known for this year though is absolutely blasting the officiating of matches and the utter joke that the so called Video Assistant Referee ‘technology’ has become. We are not the only side to fall foul of it, plenty of other managers have their own gripes and state them loudly as well, and there will undoubtedly be plenty in the Gooners fan base who actually can sympathise with fierce rivals at points given the total stupidity and inaccuracy of some of the decisions that are now being taken and awarded.
Of course, that does not mean there will not be those who find it hysterical, but this is football after all. Most of us only really care when it effects us, and for very understandable reasons.
Moving back to Arteta though, after all of his own recent criticism, he recently commented that he felt that Premier League officials had slightly improved in response to how many times, and how often, they had now been called out by managers across the division.
As fans will remember, our Spanish gaffer made a big point about the VAR decision that allowed Newcastle United to beat us 1-0 back in November – calling the decision both ’embarrassing’ and a ‘disgrace’ and whilst the Football Association obviously charged him following those words, he was cleared of misconduct in December.
During the build up to our repeat clash on Saturday with Eddie Howe’s side, he reflected on the VAR and officiating decisions he had seen since December, and whilst some fans will certainly disagree with his assessment, he believes that there has been a slight improvement in decision making over all and ultimately that was all ‘what we all wanted’.
“I think the last stats that came across show that there was a significant improvement and a lot of the decisions they were getting right, so hopefully that is the case and we continue to do that. I talked the way I felt. I was very straight and I did it in a way that was pretty strong but within the law.”
Again many regular attendees at the Emirates Stadium will disagree with his assessment of the supposed improvement, but after his previous comments, it was probably a very sensible tact to take with the media ahead of the repeat clash. In the search of headlines, he was definitely going to be asked about it and they would have certainly been looking for any ounce of lingering anger over his charge, or any whiff that they could some how turn this into a grudge encounter.
Arteta swerved that very nicely and very professionally as he made his responses to them, especially as in February VAR’s Key Match Incident Panel (which includes former players) and is thoroughly independent from the Professional Games Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) set up, rather conveniently again found that VAR was a success.
They boasted 57 ‘correct’ interventions, 24 of which would have otherwise been left as wrong decisions – but that they also made 20 mistakes, where amazingly 17 of those mistakes should have seen VAR get involved.
If those are successful numbers based on the investment and money spent, I am personally winning the Premier League this year on my own.
Arteta Praises VAR Ahead Of Repeat Newcastle Clash – He Can’t Be Genuine, Seriously
