Mikel Arteta quickly defended VAR and officials after their howler cost Liverpool against Tottenham, but he later had second thoughts after his Arsenal team lost to Newcastle.
Mikel Arteta appears to have taken a significant turnabout in his views on officiating calls following a controversial ruling that involved his Arsenal team.
The Spaniard was furious on Saturday night after witnessing the Gunners lose to Newcastle in the Premier League for the first time this year. Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half goal forced VAR to review a number of facets of the play.
Following the defeat, Arteta walked to the field and became enraged that the goal had been left up. After pushing for more respect for referees just a few weeks prior, he called the decision “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” and launched an onslaught that resulted in him receiving the PGMOL.
“We’ve been taking it up (with the PGMOL) for months,” the Arsenal manager stated. We invest so many hours, and there is just too much on the line. The margins are so narrow that it’s embarrassing and a disgrace, but I’m here to represent the football team and push my squad to compete at the greatest level.
“You look at the images and I don’t know how to feel,” he continued. Not only am I squandering time, but so are we. I want no part of being controlled by others. It’s challenging enough to compete against this excellent team. There is too much on the line, and it is embarrassing the way we play and compete.”
Even though the season is less than one-third over, the referee management team has been compelled to acknowledge mistakes have been made. Rewinding to the first weekend, there has been a lot of criticism directed at VAR and the players.
Arteta’s outburst was prompted by his defense of those in charge after Tottenham’s victory over Liverpool was marred by a VAR gaffe in which the referee incorrectly called a goal by Luis Diaz offside. The manager of Arsenal asserted: “I’m not sure. It’s something over which we have no control and which we cannot manage. They seem to be attempting to safeguard the game, make the best choices possible, garner as much support as they can, and exercise ruthlessness when necessary.
We must eventually acknowledge that mistakes are inevitable and offer support. We’ve all made mistakes, and managing under such intense pressure can be rather challenging.”
