I think most defensive midfielders have committed fouls they aren’t necessarily proud of. What you don’t see in the image is that the ball is actually quite close. This was not an attack on Alonso per se, although it was not at all a clean attempt either.
Thing is, with football you have the kind of player that just doesn’t play with finesse and relies on being tough in duels, no backing down. De Jong was one of those.
These days, especially with VAR, you see a lot more deliberate kicks to Achilles tendons, knees, thighs, that get awarded direct reds. De Jong should’ve had a red card that day. But a red somewhere in your career shouldn’t mean you can never work in football again.
Attempt to injure needs to lead to massive suspensions, with repeat attempts being absurdly long. Anything else encourages dirty players and bosses, and the fans hate that shit. (IMO.)
Football varies by league, of course, but it seems that many leagues are far too weak on this front.
I think most defensive midfielders have committed fouls they aren’t necessarily proud of. What you don’t see in the image is that the ball is actually quite close. This was not an attack on Alonso per se, although it was not at all a clean attempt either.
Thing is, with football you have the kind of player that just doesn’t play with finesse and relies on being tough in duels, no backing down. De Jong was one of those.
These days, especially with VAR, you see a lot more deliberate kicks to Achilles tendons, knees, thighs, that get awarded direct reds. De Jong should’ve had a red card that day. But a red somewhere in your career shouldn’t mean you can never work in football again.
Attempt to injure needs to lead to massive suspensions, with repeat attempts being absurdly long. Anything else encourages dirty players and bosses, and the fans hate that shit. (IMO.)
Football varies by league, of course, but it seems that many leagues are far too weak on this front.