Has anyone else noticed that diving and playacting is way, way down this year? We haven't even seen the stretcher and magic spray yet, I don't think (I missed most of Slovenia-Algeria, so I'm not counting that game).
The strikers in the offensive thirds are the biggest culprits in diving and play acting. This new ball took care of that problem by taking the strikers out of much of these games, at least in the offensive third. Maybe if all the games were postponed it would cut down on the diving completely...
It would take somebody to actually start dribbling in this godforsaken cup, just to get the opportunity to do something as entertaining as diving. I would GLADLY take the diving that comes along with a side that actually attacks after the jury duty hours I've put in watching these snoozefests. Obviously there are more reasons then just not attacking (rubber ball, no communication, altitude) but honestly, at least a dive would wake me up!
I think the other big positive is the refereeing being top class. I haven't seen many wrong decisions at all and the card-happy refs seem to have missed this WC which is excellent. All of the sending offs have been justified. But yes, this WC has been awful.
You can add that one as well to that bit of positivity. Yes, the "simulation" has been non-existent in this Cup. Let's hope it stays that way.
And agreed on the officiating as well. But the play on the field has been absolute shite. ABSOLUTE -- SHITE.
The ref for the Germany - Australia game was the worst so far IMO (wouldn't have made a difference to the result though) There is no way that Cahill deserved a straight Red, and Valeri's Yellow was very soft as well - as well as missing a blatant hand ball in the box. Pretty much every offside call was correct though, despite the Socceroo defenders standing still with their arms in the air. He did also pick up on 2 dives which was good to see. Overall whilst I'd put him as worst so far, he would probably be one of the better ones last time around.
a bit early to judge, but i share the impression. it first struck me during england-USA. i think the americans are always more sporting and respectful of the referee, but there was also a case during algeria-slovenia where bougherra tackles novakovic in the area and not a peep out of the slovenian*. but the exception that proves the rule (sorry gold) was australia last night. mertesacker's handball, you're right. cahill's red i didn't see. but long before that the oz players had started swearing a blue streak at the ref, contesting every call in a way that would make even italians look like good sports, as if he was the cause of all their problems. *besides being a fine show of fair play, it was a classic case of why video would be a bad thing. because at full speed, what you see is a great tackle by bougherra, hard-nosed but clean, right on the ball. the first replays confirm. but a third angle shows the algerian clips novakovic's ankle just before the ball. penalty? hard to say. but with video, we're off on a hair-splitting argument no one will ever resolve, while in real time what we got was a defender making a great play, a ref making the right decision, and the striker agreeing that he hadn't been unfairly treated.
I didn't see the Italy game but Ronaldo today may have singlehandedly matched Italy and Cameroon combined...
It really is a bummer that one of the best players in the world resorts to diving the way Ronaldo does....it's infuriating and not necessary.
I think people are very harsh on Ronaldo. He only dived once in my opinion, down by the corner flag when he was touched on the shoulder. The rest of the time he was hacked down, only for the Ivorians and the commentators to have a massive go at him.
There was one instance so blatant where he wasn't even touched. Maybe my memory is poor or because I was dozing I don't recall the exact location on the pitch...but I seem to remember it being closer to free kick in front of the goal area. Atleast 3 instances I can remember where he went to ground very easily. Regardless, the guy has a track record (even in the last world cup getting Rooney sent off). Yea, he gets hammered a fair bit as well but I don't see Messi playing that way.
i'm no CR fan by any means but the "diving" is far from the top of reasons he gets up my nostrils. there was indeed that one time by the corner flag he went down... the first angle i thought they clipped boots but actually they were'nt even close. all the other times he went down he really had been hacked, and it happens a lot to players like him because their footwork is faster than the opponents. messi goes down plenty too. the difference is he doesn't make a soap opera of it. often fouls that look niggling can both really smart and also bring you down no matter how hard you want to stay up. but why even try to muscle through (at reduced speed and/or off balance) if the foul is real and the FK is attractive? you're just inviting the defender to keep it up, you're making his job easy. that said, CR has a not at all undeserved reputation for flopping that means he sometimes doesn't get the foul he deserves... so he puts on his act... which gets on the wicks of both defenders and refs... and the vicious spiral continues.
I don't think there's been quite as much diving though it's still there. I do think there's been a decrease in the amount of exaggerated rolloing around in the hope of getting players sent off. That makes the refs job a lot easier. Although, in general, the standard of refereeing has been as high as the standard of play has been low. Says a lot about a World Cup that the best that can be said about it is good refs.
The two dives in the Germany/Australia game were pretty depressing, considering they already had the lead...
Can't remember who.....think it may have been during the France vs Uruguay game where a player got booked for diving. All the players must have been told prior to the world cup that diving will not be tolerated. Diving has seriously decreased this world cup.
His petulant and arrogant among other things, I'm a fan but I'm aware he is by no measure a saint. There are enough legit reasons to dislike him and even his most avid fan gets why some react to him the way they do but some of the criticism is pure nonsense. Rooney got sent off because he stomped on a downed opponents testicles in plain view of the referee, he was rightfully sent off, Ronaldo was rightfully offended and appealed to the ref, it didn't change the outcome, Rooney got Rooney sent off. That nonsense needs to die a quick death. As to the game, he was cynically hacked on a number of occasions, it was clear they decided to handle Ronaldo the way they did and the ref didn't stop it, he may have felt entitled to even the score which isn't right but there are two wrongs there and if people are offended by one, surely in the interest of honesty and consistency, they should be equally offended by the other. You'll always see player x dived in a thread like this but never team x decided instead of legitimately defending a quality opponent they choose to kick him down whenever he got the ball. I've never understood why the latter is not recognized as equally detrimental to the game. More a general annoyance then a direct response to the quoted post btw.
And done. De Rossi lead the ways in dives in the game. In the early stages, he did a perfect swan dive, grab/yell, roll technique that the Italians are famed for to try to con the ref into giving a free kick outside the box.
And today, in Italy's draw with New Zealand, the only reason the Italians took home one point is that De Rossi dove to get a PK. Totally shameful, dirty play. Another note about this thread: a couple of posts ago people were commenting on the high level of officiating in this cup. Seems quaint, given the events of the past couple days.