Premier League – Pep Guardiola says he has never fully trusted refereeing decisions or VAR, after Arsenal’s VAR outcome kept Man City’s title fight tense.
Pep Guardiola has reignited his long-running frustration with officiating, insisting he has “never” fully trusted refereeing decisions and that VAR outcomes can feel like a coin toss.
The Manchester City manager broke his silence after Arsenal’s latest VAR moment left City facing a more fragile title situation than they would have wanted.. With the Premier League campaign moving toward its climax. City know they must beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday night if they are to keep pressure on Arsenal at the top.
Guardiola’s comments also reflected a wider sense of grievance about how key calls have gone against his side this season and in recent years. He pointed to City’s FA Cup experiences, arguing that they lost “two finals” because officials, including VAR, did not do the job they were expected to do.
Across Guardiola’s tenure, he said the repeated pattern has shaped how he approaches matches. Rather than blaming individuals in the moment, he framed it as a broader requirement for City to be better in order to protect themselves when fine margins swing on calls.
When he referenced VAR specifically, Guardiola suggested the system’s impact is sometimes too unpredictable. He described it as essentially a “flip of a coin,” adding that VAR has existed in the top flight for years and that teams must adapt rather than rely on decisions going their way.
That position sits alongside another important theme in his message to players: City cannot treat officiating as a substitute for performance.. In his view. if results do not go as planned. the response should be improvement on the pitch—because the title race cannot be controlled by factors outside the club.
This frustration has also been sharpened by a recent weekend controversy that Guardiola linked to the same underlying issue of decisions affecting outcomes.. City were left to absorb the aftermath of West Ham’s late disallowed goal being ruled out during the defeat by Mikel Arteta’s side. a moment that Guardiola suggested underlined how crucial those calls can become.
The manager believes the wider context matters too: VAR was not introduced last weekend. but has been in place for seven years. meaning officials and players have had time to settle into its routines.. He told his squad they should understand how it works, while still recognizing that outcomes can be inconsistent.
City’s next task now is to respond on the field as they host Palace at the Etihad Stadium, a match in which the referee assigned to take charge is Stuart Atwell. The game becomes even more significant given what Guardiola sees as the potential for the title race to hinge on small swings in margins.
Palace, for their part, are expected to arrive with changes.. Oliver Glasner indicated that his side will rotate as attention shifts toward their Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in the coming weeks.. Guardiola said he anticipates a much-changed Palace team. reinforcing the idea that tactical and lineup adjustments could decide how competitive the match becomes.
Guardiola also suggested rotation may be on the table for City. He is set to manage matches involving Chelsea and then a trip to Bournemouth after the Palace fixture, and his scheduling calculus could influence how strong a starting XI appears on Wednesday night.
The ripple effects of rotation could be even more pronounced because Glasner has also moved to protect the integrity narrative around competition decisions.. He dismissed the idea that any criticism would carry weight. saying complaints about the competition’s integrity are “nonsense. ” a stance Guardiola did not challenge. instead backing the need to keep the focus where it belongs.
Alongside the call about refereeing, Guardiola argued against drawing the Premier League authorities into the decision-making debate. In his view, managers should be allowed to handle football matters without interference that turns officiating into a constant public argument.
He added that City will continue with their remaining fixtures—starting with Palace—and then handle subsequent matches with the same focus.. For Guardiola. the immediate priority is keeping control of what City can influence: their performance level. their concentration. and their ability to respond quickly when results do not go their way.
While Guardiola’s rhetoric was pointed, his central message was essentially one of discipline.. He warned that once a team loses focus. it can enter a dangerous stretch. and insisted the only controllable route through such moments is to do better—because official decisions are not something City can afford to build their hopes on.
Pep Guardiola Man City Crystal Palace Premier League title race VAR Arsenal Stuart Atwell