THE Premier League’s use of VAR is set for a massive overhaul after a season littered with complaints, confusion and calls for change.
With Arsene Wenger set to oversee a rule change that will dramatically shift how offsides are judged, SunSport has evaluated how video replays have taken their toll.
When taking into account every VAR decision made in the Premier League so far this year, right or wrong, it is clear how profound its effect is.
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham would lose a whopping seven points if every on-pitch refereeing call remained.
Our revised table reverses every VAR call, from offsides to penalties, and drops Spurs down to 11th place with three more defeats to their name.
Also losing points are Leicester, with four; Bournemouth, Brighton, Southampton and Manchester United with three; and Liverpool – whose five-point decrease still hardly dents their lead over Manchester City.
What is Arsene changing?
IFAB offside law
“A player is in an OFFSIDE position if: Any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (excluding the halfway line) and nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.”
Wenger offside law
“A player will be deemed ONSIDE if any part of the head, body or feet is level or behind the second-last opponent — even if other parts are in front.”
In total, VAR has stepped in to disallow 46 goals or penalties while giving the green light to 19 that had been dismissed.
Two sets of fans notorious for their hatred of the replay system are Wolves and Norwich – and the stats back them up.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have lost out on seven points from VAR calls, which would have them fifth in the revised rankings.
And Norwich would be on the verge of safety with the six points they have been denied, level on points with 17th-placed Brighton.
Also benefiting are West Ham, by six points, and Manchester City by five.
Aston Villa, Arsenal and Everton would also nudge up the table.
Under former Gunners boss Wenger’s plans, the offside law would switch from measuring the furthest forward goalscoring body part to the furthest back.
Such a re-balance in favour of the attacker promises to increase the number of goals scored considerably.
And the Frenchman, now FIFA’s head of global development, wants to drive the change through IFAB this month, with it being in place for the Euros in the summer.
Southampton boss Hasenhuttl rages at ‘joke’ VAR failure as Tanganga handball goes unchecked in draw with Spurs
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
