Ange Postecoglou set the tone at Celtic early on in his tenure when he told the players about his ‘We don’t stop’ mantra. That is being impacted since the introduction of VAR in Scottish football. The system was brought about earlier on in this campaign and has been regularly stopping and holding up matches ever since.
While there are many ongoing issues and debates about VAR regarding the consistency of decisions made, another hugely important factor is the long delays while the officials try to make a decision. Even then it isn‘t always reached until the the referee is called over to a pitch side monitor to take another look at the incident again for themselves.
Fans in the stadium and players on the pitch are largely left in the dark while the reviews go on and on. And it goes without saying that it affects the flow of the game.
But for some teams when they are playing Celtic, this can all be a great thing. The Hoops’ fast paced, quick passing and constant pressing style of play can quickly tire the opposition when they are working hard to defend. A break in play for a quick rest can be very welcome for the opposition, but it does not suit Postecoglou’s side.
Celtic star makes honest admission about frustration with VAR
As reported by Irish Mirror, Matt O’Riley said about the matter:
"“It is frustrating. It takes a really long time. I don’t know what the average time is but it must be over two or three minutes each time which for us is not ideal, especially the way we play and the momentum we have when we’re constantly attacking teams, it gives them a breather as well.“The way we’re playing, we’re trying to tire teams out so it’s a bit frustrating in that sense but at the same time everyone has to deal with it.”"
The long disruptions to play are certainly frustrating for many, both on and off the pitch. It is an aspect of VAR which definitely needs improving.
It is interesting to note that after a couple of errors in how VAR was applied in England last weekend there has been immediate action taken to apologise and learn from those going forward. Hopefully, we will see something similar take place in the Scottish game moving forward as well.