By now everyone has seen the tackle on "poor" Aaron Ramsey by Ryan Shawcross.
The punishment has yet to be decided and from my view the punishment should not be the 6,7, or 10 matches that furious Arsenal fans are crying out for. If you have not seen the tackle the video follows my rant. I have seen the video numerous times and from my judgment they both went for the ball, it just so happened that Ryan went with a leg in front and from first glance appears to aim for the ball.
After impact the ball goes towards the Arsenal goal, the direction which Ryan was aiming for. If this was such a malicious tackle would the ball go in that direction? The sympathy was noticeable on Ryan's face as he realized what he did. The colors on the jersey did not matter, both sides went to the aid of Aaron but what will remain in my mind is Sol Cambell's reaction to this entire ordeal. I have not seen such a tirade in a while and it was nice to see the fire finally lit under Arsenal. Don't get me wrong. Arsenal are third in the league and only 3 points behind my boys Chelsea. But the magic, the typical Arsenal style of play has not been what many neutrals look forward too. There is no bone in my body that hates or loves Arsenal but as a neutral there has to be a degree of admiration for what Arsne Wenger has accomplished.
Arsne was in a similar position when Eduardo suffered a similar devastating injury. If anyone has felt the brunt of the physical play in England, it's the second most fouled team in the league, Arsenal. Arsenal has also dished out the punishment and thus comes the question of what next? Will the game ban the lost art of tackling?
An art perfected by names like Vieria, Maldini, Puyol and current stars like Sergio Ramos. Defenders who defended unlike current stars such as Dani Alves who is more of a winger than a defender. I do believe in harsh penalties for malicious senseless tackles, but to remove the tackle entirely is far fetched. As a player lunges and sacrifices their body in an effort to prevent an opponent possession I can not help but applaud the skill and sacrifice that player takes. It takes courage to go in for a challenge, yes you may injure your opponent but there is a risk of injury for the tackler. What if it was Ryan who broke his leg would there be any less sympathy for him? This is a rather The Beautiful Game, a game that is not only flashy moves and back heels but also tackles that take your breath away as they deny an opponent a shot on goal or a cross.
This art is one that needs to be reintroduced at a young age. There is an old saying that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. I hold that to be true unless your Arsenal. Yet to defend by attacking seems like a more viable option than holding down the fort, it makes no sense to call these players defenders when they truly aren't. Give them a spot in the midfield so you wont get beat on the counter because your full back is closer to the opposing keeper than your own.
A defender has certain qualities and tools, why deny them such a powerful one that being the art of tackling. This art has essentially died in Spain due to the quick whistle but there is still hope in England. A land that is rabid for their football, a country that demands as much passion as skill. In my eyes if you take away this art, then you take out the passion for which I watch the game. I enjoy a good goal but I adore a great tackle.
(The first video is a compilation of great tackles, the second is the tackle on Aaron)
The punishment has yet to be decided and from my view the punishment should not be the 6,7, or 10 matches that furious Arsenal fans are crying out for. If you have not seen the tackle the video follows my rant. I have seen the video numerous times and from my judgment they both went for the ball, it just so happened that Ryan went with a leg in front and from first glance appears to aim for the ball.
After impact the ball goes towards the Arsenal goal, the direction which Ryan was aiming for. If this was such a malicious tackle would the ball go in that direction? The sympathy was noticeable on Ryan's face as he realized what he did. The colors on the jersey did not matter, both sides went to the aid of Aaron but what will remain in my mind is Sol Cambell's reaction to this entire ordeal. I have not seen such a tirade in a while and it was nice to see the fire finally lit under Arsenal. Don't get me wrong. Arsenal are third in the league and only 3 points behind my boys Chelsea. But the magic, the typical Arsenal style of play has not been what many neutrals look forward too. There is no bone in my body that hates or loves Arsenal but as a neutral there has to be a degree of admiration for what Arsne Wenger has accomplished.
Arsne was in a similar position when Eduardo suffered a similar devastating injury. If anyone has felt the brunt of the physical play in England, it's the second most fouled team in the league, Arsenal. Arsenal has also dished out the punishment and thus comes the question of what next? Will the game ban the lost art of tackling?
An art perfected by names like Vieria, Maldini, Puyol and current stars like Sergio Ramos. Defenders who defended unlike current stars such as Dani Alves who is more of a winger than a defender. I do believe in harsh penalties for malicious senseless tackles, but to remove the tackle entirely is far fetched. As a player lunges and sacrifices their body in an effort to prevent an opponent possession I can not help but applaud the skill and sacrifice that player takes. It takes courage to go in for a challenge, yes you may injure your opponent but there is a risk of injury for the tackler. What if it was Ryan who broke his leg would there be any less sympathy for him? This is a rather The Beautiful Game, a game that is not only flashy moves and back heels but also tackles that take your breath away as they deny an opponent a shot on goal or a cross.
This art is one that needs to be reintroduced at a young age. There is an old saying that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. I hold that to be true unless your Arsenal. Yet to defend by attacking seems like a more viable option than holding down the fort, it makes no sense to call these players defenders when they truly aren't. Give them a spot in the midfield so you wont get beat on the counter because your full back is closer to the opposing keeper than your own.
A defender has certain qualities and tools, why deny them such a powerful one that being the art of tackling. This art has essentially died in Spain due to the quick whistle but there is still hope in England. A land that is rabid for their football, a country that demands as much passion as skill. In my eyes if you take away this art, then you take out the passion for which I watch the game. I enjoy a good goal but I adore a great tackle.
(The first video is a compilation of great tackles, the second is the tackle on Aaron)
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