Bold Tone wrote:
otfgoon wrote:
It's terrible defending though, I reckon it's harder to beat defenders who stay on their feet and don't just dive in like maniacs.
There's a guy I play 6 a side against who used to beat me every single time, was humiliating considering he's like 12 years older than me. Realised that when you don't dive in he can't go anywhere, just follow him around until he get's desperate. Similar principle.
In Maradona's era, being scythed down was a normal part of the game.
Messi, by contrast, can dance through defenders who have to make sure they do not touch him.
The contrast is clear in the videos.
You're missing the point. Being scythed down just means a larger risk of getting injured, but the likes of Messi and Maradona thrive on players commuting themselves and making said players look like mugs.
As Quincy said, it's not the threat of a yellow or red that stops players from diving in, it's because it's bad defending too.
That being said, I didn't see many tackles going in when he scored that goal against England, just Peter Reid following him slowly a couple of paces behind..
