It’s likely that VAR has managed to solve some issues with decisions that are obviously black or white, but it’s causing so many issues when it comes to judgement calls.
It’s almost like the officials on the pitch aren’t trusted to make any decisions any more and the game looks a lot different when it’s replayed in slow motion and shown from multiple angles.
It’s leading to a lot of baffling penalty decisions, especially surrounding the handball laws.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Keith Hackett explains the handball rules amid a number of incorrect decisions to start the Premier League season
It feels like we’re one step away from teams employing a tactic of thumping the ball into a crowded box and hoping that VAR picks up some hint of a hand being used at some point.
Man United have started to concede penalties on a regular basis and this trend suggests that more will be given, so this stat from David de Gea is a troubling one:
6.9% – David De Gea has saved just two of the 29 penalties he's faced in the Premier League (6.9%); of the 30 keepers to have faced at least 25 in the competition, only Paul Robinson has saved a lower share (6.1% – 3/49). Weakness. #BHAMUN pic.twitter.com/GbASnQcMLb
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 26, 2020
Obviously the advantage always goes to the taker with penalties and that won’t include the save he made against Crystal Palace which was reversed thanks to a VAR intervention.
You get two types of goalkeepers with penalties – those who look imposing and make the goals look tiny, or those who will generally dive early and don’t give you the impression that they think they’re going to make a save.
De Gea falls into the second category, and it could become a bigger issue if they keep conceding penalties.