Barcelona would be above Real Madrid in La Liga table without VAR errors – report
The introduction of VAR has changed the way football is played. Intervention from a room where plays could be evaluated in depth was always expected to make the game an easier arena to understand, but it clearly has its own set of drawbacks.
VAR has found its own set of vocal critics in recent years, for it is said to affect the purity of the sport. Further, it provides referees with the extra power to overturn decisions, thus, creating disparity between teams.
La Liga without VAR
As the league table stands currently, Girona are on top of the standings with 52 points as compared to Real Madrid’s 51. Notably, however, Michel’s men have played one game extra.
Barcelona sit in third place, seven points before their local rivals and eight behind Carlo Ancelotti’s men. That, however, would have been very different if not for VAR.
Real Madrid have benefited from the video assistant referee’s decisions this season, as was apparent during their last game against Almeria. And SPORT brings to light how the league standings would have shaped up had it not been for the VAR.
According to the outlet, Barcelona would be second on the table without the interventions from the assists’ room and would have 47 points as opposed to their current tally of 44. The games against Rayo Vallecano, Getafe, and Granada spring to mind as games in that bracket.
Only Girona would boast of a better position, and that too only by a single point. Real Madrid, who currently sit on 51 points, would come down by a staggering seven points to 44.
Xavi speaks out on the injustice
Real Madrid’s win over Almeria yesterday evening was the perfect example of how VAR can make or break a result at its wish. The underdogs were all over Los Blancos on the night, but three VAR interventions saw decisions go against them and sealed their defeat.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez took a sly dig at the Merengues’ VAR-assisted win after the Blaugranas’ 4-2 win over Real Betis and admitted that there appeared to be foul play involved with regularity.
“If we speak up they sanction us, but everyone has seen it. It’s going to be very difficult to win this league, I said in Getafe, that there were things that didn’t suit me.”
“There are things that we don’t control, everyone has seen it today. I remember in Getafe, the penalty in Vallecas against Raphinha, Joao’s goal in Granada.
“These are situations in that we would take six more points. In the end, they are not excuses, it is the reality,” he added on the occasions where VAR let his side down.
