Teknowarta – Barcelona’s Sporting Director, Deco, has unleashed fierce criticism against the implementation of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology following his team’s late defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium. Beyond scrutinizing the team’s lackluster performance, Deco highlighted how referee decisions and the prolonged duration of VAR reviews significantly hindered the flow and fairness of the match.
Deco specifically pinpointed two contentious moments during the game. Firstly, the disallowing of Pau Cubarsi’s goal, which necessitated a review process lasting an astonishing six minutes. Secondly, he argued that Giuliano Simeone’s aggressive challenge on Alejandro Balde unequivocally warranted a red card, had the referee scrutinized the replay more diligently.
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Match Analysis
Addressing the emphatic 4-0 final scoreline, Deco candidly admitted that the Blaugrana failed to perform at their best, particularly throughout the first half of the encounter.
“This result is very heavy. We didn’t play well and failed to neutralize the opponent’s aggression in the first half, despite some improvements in the second half. Atletico is a formidable team that will punish every mistake,” Deco was quoted as saying by Marca on Friday (Feb 13).
Optimism for the Second Leg
Despite the crushing defeat, Deco remains remarkably optimistic as Barcelona prepares for the decisive second leg on home turf. He firmly believes in Barcelona’s storied history of pulling off a remontada, or extraordinary comeback, confident that such a feat can be replicated.
“This team possesses the capacity to bounce back. It will certainly be difficult, but nothing is impossible for us,” he asserted with conviction.
Spotlight on VAR and Strategy
The former Portugal international’s primary disappointment was directed at VAR’s perceived ineffectiveness, arguing that it has not brought about any significant quality improvement to football.
“I don’t see any improvement in quality with the presence of VAR. Its decisions are increasingly difficult to comprehend, sometimes even requiring up to ten minutes just to determine a single moment,” Deco lamented, expressing his frustration.
Regarding the tactical decision to withdraw Marc Casado, Deco clarified that the move was purely for the team’s safety. Considering Casado had already received a yellow card, the risk of him committing another foul while trying to thwart Atletico’s counter-attacks was deemed too great, especially given the slippery pitch conditions that caused players to lose their footing frequently.
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In closing, he once again underscored the perceived injustice surrounding the Simeone foul incident, reiterating his strong stance.
“If VAR had properly reviewed Simeone’s tackle on Balde, it absolutely should have resulted in a red card,” he firmly concluded.