Finding it increasingly difficult not to get pissed off with how low the bar is, how pathetically easy it is to give (and get) a foul ... proper shite
And in empty stadiums, by the way, you're made all too aware how much and (how many) players scream and shout over absolutely sod all.
I know, I know, grumpy old man and all that. But is is RUBBISH.
And, like with the VAR, this isn't about more or less justice or it going against this team or that (and if you think it's always against your team you're a bellend), it's about what it does to the actual *game* itself.
And, curiously (or not), having such a low bar isn't in fact bad for dirty teams and good for ones that want to play. It's the opposite. it makes killing a game, stopping, so, so easy.
Anyway, whinge over.
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Really, really enjoyed talking to the fascinating @filipeluis about ... well, about everything really. Chelsea, Atlético, Simeone, Mourinho, Hazard, Salah and Michael Caine. Here's the interview. theguardian.com/football/2021/…
It could have been five times as long. So much cut. I'll try to put some of that up here later.
FIlipe Luis very good indeed on football's relationship with gambling, by the way. "I don’t want footballers involved at all – at all – because it’s an addiction that destroys families."
Cañizares lo clava. Tal y como está todo ahora, entre jugadores, árbitros y VAR, lejos de erradicar los piscinazos, se anima a los jugadores a tirarse.
“El problema es de concepto, es de inicio, es de reflexión general”, dice @santicanizares. Total, totalmente de acuerdo. No es cuestión ya de analizar esta decisión o aquella, de hablar siquiera de justicia, sino de pensar hacia dónde vamos, cómo afecta al *juego* en sí.
Cosa que llevamos tiempo hablando con @itu_edu. De verdad, eh, y siento salir en plan apocalíptico, pero el fútbol tiene un problema grave. Se está haciendo mucho daño.
Here's the @guardian_sport interview with @ivanrakitic, who speaks really well about Croatia's mind-set at World Cup, about their difficulties since, about the semifinal with England and the final with France ...
One of the diffciulties when you have someone who's engaging and speaks so eloquently is, of course, getting it all in ... Here are some of the cuttings, in case they're interesting ...
One of the difficulties when you talk to have someone who has a lot to say and speaks so well is fitting it all in (and all the more so these days), so there's a lot that didn't make it. Thought it might be nice to share some of that from Santi Cazorla …
Recently someone asked me if I felt like an example/role model to follow, an inspiration. And I said no. I’m not an example to anyone there are a lot of problems in life much worse than mine. All I have done is battled to keep playing football.
I’m sure there are lot of people in my situation who have fought just the same or more than me but because they don’t play football or because they are not famous, people don’t realise. If this can help, I'm happy.