Manchester City head coach, Pep Guardiola, has expressed strong scepticism over refereeing decisions and VAR in the Premier League, saying he has “never trusted anything” involving the system, following another contentious moment in the title race.
The controversy came after Arsenal strengthened their position at the top of the table, moving five points clear of Manchester City with two matches left.
Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday, a match that also featured a late incident where the home side were denied an equaliser after a VAR review ruled there had been a foul on goalkeeper David Raya.
City still have a chance to reduce the gap to two points when they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but Guardiola stressed that his focus remains entirely on his team’s performances rather than external decisions.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “What is important is tomorrow, then we’ll see what happens when we get to the next one. I always learned that when you lose focus, you’re in a dangerous situation.
“Only we can do what we have to do and do it better. That is only in our control.
“We lost the two FA Cup finals because the referees didn’t do their job that they should do. Even the VAR. When this happened, it’s because we have to do better. Not the referees. I have never trusted anything [with VAR] since I arrived a long time ago.
“You have to do it better. Do it better. If you want to be in that position, do better because you have to blame yourselves.
“That [VAR] is a flip of a coin. You have to do it better yourself. That is Crystal Palace, focus, focus and focus. Of course, it’s not in our hands in this Premier League. I always said to the players when I arrived here and in Barcelona and Bayern Munich: ‘Guys do it better’.
“The other one is a job for the statements and institutions which rule the competition.”
Asked whether Arsenal’s important win had affected his players, Guardiola said: “I haven’t seen the players yet. I always give them a day off.
“Crystal Palace, thinking what we have to do. I’ve always learned, in my career as a manager, what you cannot control, forget about it.
“Do better (than) what you have not done better this season and arrive in better positions to fight for the Premier League. We are still fighting.”
