Champions League Games 5/6 March

[Cobra]

Whilst I strongly lean towards the suspicion that VAR isn't being implemented fairly (and to our detriment, in many cases), I am still very much in favour of keeping it.
You see, now with VAR, the controversies are being highlighted, measured and recorded.
This is going to be a very important resource for City as things progress.

Already, we can point to:

* VAR reverting back to an incident on the edge of our box, in an effort to disallow Aguero's goal v Schalke.

* VAR being used to give a very dodgy handball , penalty decision against us.

* VAR being used to give another penalty which certainly wasn't "clear and obvious" v Schalke.

* Aguero's goal at Wembley being disallowed when doing so wasn't "clear and obvious" either.

That's four incidents, clearly recorded (the first three, when VAR wasn't even working properly!). It's not fun, having to suffer through the bullshit and bias but it's going to be very hard for the powers-that-be to deny there is a systematic bias if (and when) the statistics prove that we are more heavily disadvantaged than other clubs.

The counter argument will, inevitably, propose that VAR is arbitrarily applied and beyond reproach but that becomes a very tenuous position to defend if (as I suspect) the evidence stacks up to show that one club is being inordinately scrutinized.

And the evidence is (ahem, brace yourself because this is hilarious) clear and obvious, now.

VAR wasn’t used for the Fernandinho foul vs Schalke

 

[fiddlesticksblue]

I watched the last few minutes of the Porto/Roma game. When the Porto penalty went to VAR the commentators said that it was being checked to see if the guy who was held back was offside before being fouled and if he was the foul wouldn't have been penalised. I may be wrong but when Ferni gave the penalty away, they said the offside aspect was irrelevent! Who knows what to make of these ‘laws’ nowadays?

 

[mat]

VAR wasn’t used for the Fernandinho foul vs Schalke

It was according to 5live commentary.

 

[aguero93:20]

I watched the last few minutes of the Porto/Roma game. When the Porto penalty went to VAR the commentators said that it was being checked to see if the guy who was held back was offside before being fouled and if he was the foul wouldn't have been penalised. I may be wrong but when Ferni gave the penalty away, they said the offside aspect was irrelevent! Who knows what to make of these ‘laws’ nowadays?

Only against City.

 

[threadkiller]

But got beaten comfortably by Madrid. Roma weren't that tough a team and won the match in Italy. It's not easy to fluke the Champions League. The lesser teams will lose, as it gets tougher.

The whole tournament is structured so that this is the case - away goals, two legs, group phase, seedings - its all designed to ensure only a handful of teams have any chance of winning.

 

[citytilllidie]

They have to score twice.

United had to score 3

 

[Cobra]

It was according to 5live commentary.

VAR briefly checked it, as they would do all penalty incidents. But the penalty was confirmed pretty much straight away

 

[mad4city]

All of those decisions were subjective and as we have seen, pundits, refs, VAR spokespeople can give faintly plausible reasons why it was correct. It's about point of view, I'd prefer to let the ref have the point of view instead of some UEFA exec in a VAR room.

IMO none of the decisioins that have gone against City in the past would have been overturned by VARs, just because VAR is used doesnt mean it will bring honesty.

I agree. What it is doing is putting a definite metric upon the number of dodgy decisions that go against us versus the number that go for us.
It's their own evidence. If it continues to mount up, we have evidence to argue bias in their subjectivity.

 

[Bill]

if VAR was unable to assist the cartel it would get nowhere near a football stadium.

 

[jimharri]

What struck me last night, as I was half-watching both games, and based on other European games i have watched both this and last season, is how good we are.
I mean, apart from the obvious Messi, there are very very few players in clubs such as Barca, both Madrid teams, Juve, Bayern, Paris and so on, who would slot into our starting XI. To me that's a pretty awesome, and kind of mind blowing insight.

Mike Chris Smalling.