Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has praised striker Luis Suarez for apparently trying to stay on his feet when challenged by Stoke defender Jonathan Woodgate in their recent Carling Cup encounter.
The Scot praised the striker for his display and the fact he was willing to get hurt instead of going down.
Accusations
Ever since the Merseyside derby and Jack Rodwell’s sending-off Luis Suarez has been labelled a diver. And that’s a worthy tag sometimes for Uruguayan striker. Luis Suarez uses every trick in the book to gain an advantage. If there is the slightest bit of contact from an opposition player he’s on the ground rolling around or up in the air doing a double pirouette.
Unfortunately this sort of behaviour seems to be accepted nowadays in our game because its now considered part of the game. I have heard people say its clever play but they are wrong its just cheating, plain and simple.
Superb
Luis Suarez is a superb player and I just wish he would play the game the right way without all the histrionics. I didn’t actually see the Woodgate challenge but hopefully it will be a sign of things to come from the Uruguayan international.
Suarez is such an intelligent player. His off the ball movement and pace is fantastic. The Uruguayan doesn’t need to cheat to help win games. His talent is enough to get him through. The striker could become one of the top strikers in world football but accusations of diving won’t help him achieve that.
Others
Luis Suarez was just an example of one player who likes to take simulation to a new level. Its nothing new and he is by no means the only footballer in world football who practices the dark art. I love to watch European Champions Barcelona but at times midfield anchorman Sergio Busquets irritates the hell out of me.
This guy has won nearly every trophy football has to offer, he doesn’t need to go down every time somebody goes near him. It gets embarrassing sometimes and this coming from a big fan of Barcelona. Busquets is just one of a number of numerous players I could name that goes down far too easily.
Example
The Spaniards teammate at Barcelona Lionel Messi is at the other end of the spectrum. The little Argentinian seems to stay on his feet, even when he’s kicked all over the pitch. He never seems to moan at referees and very rarely does he roll around on the floor.
I think that’s part of why Lionel Messi seems to be universally loved. The World Player of Year has enough confidence in his own ability to know he doesn’t have to cheat to help his team win.
Unlike compatriot Diego Maradona, who was regarded as a bender of the rules Messi will go down as an honest winner and lauded for his true ability with a football. Maradona was a football genius but like Suarez and Busquets he felt he needed to cheat to gain an advantage.
Cards
The way the football authorities have gone about trying to end this form of cheating is by telling referee’s to book players for simulation. I don’t think this law is followed strictly enough. Players do get booked for simulation but referees don’t see it as a priority.
It should be seen as a priority as the integrity of our game is at stake here. I don’t know if I’m alone in this but I would rather my team lose than gain an advantage by cheating. Football is a game and what’s the point of playing it if your just going to cheat?
The game may be big business now but at the end of the day it’s a game. Us football disciples believe its more than a game but you strip away the massive wages, the glitz and the glamour and what you have left is 22 men trying to outwit each other on a football field.
Evidence
Just like suspensions I believe that video evidence should be examined after matches and if a player has dived to gain his team an advantage he should receive a suspension. I think this may cut down the amount of players using simulation as a way of getting their team an unfair advantage.
Simulation is by no means a new way thing in football but it has somehow grown in popularity in recent years. The sooner we punish the offenders the better and our game will be a better place for it.
How can football cut out the curse of simulation?
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