Mauricio Pochettino insists he was not referencing Mikel Arteta after he urged his fellow Premier League managers to stop complaining (Hayters)
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has hit out at Premier League managers who call VAR a ‘disgrace’ when decisions go against them – but insists he is not talking about Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal manager was furious after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday night as he called it a ‘disgrace’ and an ’embarrassment’ that Anthony Gordon’s goal was allowed to stand after three separate VAR checks.
Meanwhile, a total of nine VAR checks were required on Monday evening as Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Tottenham included five disallowed goals and two red cards.
But Pochettino has urged his fellow Premier League managers to stop complaining about controversial decisions as he believes the current situation with officials and VAR ‘is not easy’.
When asked if he shared Ange Postecoglou’s frustration about the length of time the VAR checks were taking during Chelsea’s win over Spurs, Pochettino said: ‘I think we are frustrated, okay, maybe we have a different, you know, one win, another lose, but I agree with him.
Nine VAR checks were made during Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Tottenham on Monday evening (AMA/Getty)
‘But that is the football that we want or we wanted and we allowed the technology to arrive and now we cannot complain.
‘If I remember, when I was here, I think I start to implement the VAR and I said I do not agree about the VAR but after I support the VAR and now we need to support, but we need to try to find the best way to use.
‘Always it is difficult because we can see or we are seeing many things that is difficult to see, and to check and to check and to check. Today I think we play 110 or 120 minutes. I don’t know if it’s one o’clock in the morning or two o’clock now, you know, it’s really tough.
‘But that is the football that, you know, we all, we were open to receive the technology.
‘I don’t want to remember but too many coaches wanted the VAR and then when it’s against you and now we [say], ‘it’s a disgrace’, it’s difficult. I’m not talking about Arteta.
‘The balance is really difficult, but it’s the football that we need to try to help altogether to improve this type of thing because if not, but in a competitive game like today that I think five goals is disallowed.
‘Yes, but you need to check and then you need to play because when the time when you check and you lose time and then you need to come on with the possibility to play. It’s not easy the situation.’
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‘Too many coaches wanted the VAR and then when it’s against you we say, ‘it’s a disgrace’.’