Saturday 9 October 2010

Reckless tackles cannot be ignored



After Hatem Ben Arfa’s horrible broken leg at the weekend, Nigel De Jong is now the centre of attention. Nigel De Jong shouldn’t be vilified because he is just another player doing his job as a defensive midfield enforcer. However, maybe this role and what it entails should be looked at. Some players see themselves as destroyers who must break up play and stop the opposition at any cost. This can encourage certain players to play with a reckless abandon that they normally would not. Simply saying that these things happen is not helpful, De Jong’s tackle on Ben Arfa was excessive and not under control. Despite what many pundits would have us believe, tackling is still very much part of the modern game and top defenders often make winning the ball into a thing of beauty. There is no reason why a challenge cannot be both aggressive and controlled. Carelessly lunging around with no regard for your fellow professionals is not acceptable.

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