The Premier League campaign for 2022/23 has now come to a close after a scintillating 38 gameweeks of action up and down the country. Manchester City ended champions despite a good fight from Arsenal, whereas Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion upset the apple cart in the European battle.
Two members of the so-called ‘big six’, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, had very disappointing campaigns as they finished eighth and 12th respectively, while Southampton, Leeds United and Leicester City were the three teams relegated down to the Sky Bet Championship.
So many battles, whether it be for the title, Europe, or survival were very tightly contested for much of the season – so much so that refereeing decisions were often the difference between points being gained or dropped. It was rare that a weekend would go by without a highly controversial VAR call, with some more prominent than others.
A few teams have been far better off after interventions from the technology, whereas others have really suffered. That’s made us wonder, how would things look if VAR didn’t exist at all? We’ve taken a dive into the data from ESPN and put together a brand new league table – and there are some major swings.
1. 20th: Southampton - 25 points (no change)
No change to points total without VAR.
2. 19th: Leeds United - 35 points (same place)
+4 points extra without VAR.
3. 18th: Leicester City - 37 points (same place)
+3 points extra without VAR.
4. 17th: AFC Bournemouth - 39 points (down two places)
No change to points total without VAR.