Earlier this week it was reported that the Premier League had decided against the implementation of VAR ahead of next season.

It’s something that Arsene Wenger considers a bad decision, particularly as he felt his side was denied an obvious penalty in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle at St James Park today.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shot was deflected over the bar by the outstretched hand of defender Jamaal Lascelles, but referee Anthony Taylor only awarded a corner.

Speaking afterwards, the Arsenal boss said, “The referee is the referee. What you want is to have the referees.

“Unfortunately the Premier League has again decided not to go for VAR and personally I believe that is a very, very bad decision.”

And when asked if he would have brought VAR in, he said, “Yes, because the Premier League has been created with people who had a progressive mind and wanted to be in front of the rest in Europe.

“It worked. Overall I believe that with that decision we are behind the rest in the world and that every big game this season has been decided by mistakes that could have been avoided with VAR, especially in the Champions League with Manchester City and Liverpool.

“The young generation is used to it, and worldwide they might move away from us because they see that in other countries they do it.”

To be fair to Wenger, he has a good case about the handball today, but in general the fact that Arsenal have played five away games in 2018 and lost all five has nothing to do with video technology.

This, while pertinent, feels like a distraction.