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Fouls and tackles are all part of football. In fact, they contribute majorly in making the sport entertaining for the supporters. There is nothing as fulfilling as watching a player time his/her crucial tackle to perfection. A prime example is the 2016 Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield.
The home side dominated this entire fixture as United resolved to a typical Jose Mourinho style of play. A lovely flick from Philippe Countinho enabled Roberto Firmino to be through on goal. However, Antonio Valencia unleashed a sudden burst of speed to poke the ball away from Firmino’s feet just as he was poised to score. The match ended 0-0 with United lucky not to concede. However, there are tackles in modern football history that have been without a shroud of doubt dreadful. Were the perpetrators for these offences sent off? No they were not and only received a booking at the worst.
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#5 Rojo’s two-footed lunge
Marcos Rojo is one of the hardest tacklers in the Premier League. He is a classic example of a South American player due to his passion when defending and mentality to never back down from a challenge. His reputation has enabled him to make a name for himself at Old Trafford as a fierce competitor in defence.
On December 4, 2016, Everton faced United in a league match at Goodison Park. Rojo grabbed the attention in the 16th minute with his two-footed sliding challenge on Idrissa Gueye who had also committed to retaining possession. Rojo’s tackle caught Gueye squarely on his left leg. Referee Michael Oliver deemed the challenge only worthy of a yellow card. Rojo stayed on the pitch as United took the lead just before half time.
The impact of Rojo not being sent off contributed to Everton’s struggle in finding a breakthrough. The Merseyside club only salvaged a point through Leighton Baines’ 89th minute penalty.
#4 Joe Bennett at it again
On this occasion, Manchester City played Cardiff City in the FA Cup fourth round and emerged 2-0 winners. This win came at a cost to two young stars in their ranks. Speedy winger Leroy Sane suffered a broken ankle after Cardiff defender Joe Bennett slid and caught the German in a bid to stop a counter attack. The horror tackle only resulted in a booking for Bennett.
As if he had not learnt, Bennett for the second time made an aggressive challenge on teenage prodigy Brahim Diaz in injury time which should have earned him a little more than the second yellow. He faced criticism from Pep Guardiola and his own manager, Neil Warnock. His boss gave him extra training as punishment for his behaviour. So basically more time to build up on his aggression for the next opponent.
# 3 John Terry
Terry is undoubtedly a legend in Chelsea’s history. The battle-driven central defender was known for always putting his body on the line and getting the job done defensively. On April 10, 2010, the Blues faced Aston Villa in the FA semi-final at Wembley Stadium. Villa was trailing 1-0 in the 74th minute when a couple players launched a counter attack. The experienced Terry made a vicious lunge that almost tore apart James Milner’s left knee.
The impact of the challenge was severe but Terry escaped with only a yellow card. This sparked strong criticism from Villa boss who thought the tackle had threatened his midfielder’s career. He was not happy that Terry only received a yellow card and there are very few who can disagree with that.
#2 Hector Moreno clatters Shaw
Luke Shaw, the promising left-back signed from Southampton was slowly proving his worth. On various fronts, the player’s performance has never been the same since September 15, 2015. This is when United clashed with PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League. In the 15th minute of the tie, Shaw made a bursting run on the left flank and was clattered by hard-tackling Hector Moreno in the box. Moreno caught Shaw with his trailing leg in the process but no card let alone penalty was given.
Shaw had to receive treatment for almost ten minutes on the pitch before being taken off. The post–match medical report indicated that Shaw had suffered a double fracture on his right leg that would keep him out of action for at least six months. Moreno, who deserved a sending off, played on and even scored the equaliser goal in their 2-1 win.
#1 Kung-fu De Jong kick
If there was ever a foul that deserved a red card was Nigel De Jong’s kick on Xabi Alonso during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On July 10, 2010, the final pit the fluid play of Spain against the physicality of the Dutch. This was a proper final until the moment of truth in the 27th minute. Alonso and De Jong went in for a loose ball with the Dutch player opting to fly in using what seemed like a martial arts kick.
As a result, he caught Alonso with his studs sinking deep into the Spaniard’s chest. However, centre referee Howard Webb only flashed out a yellow card for the offence. If that crystal clear incident does not qualify for a straight red card surely what does? During finals, there are moments that referees usually let some offences slide in order to maintain balance but just a glimpse of De Jong’s kick on any day shows that he deserved a red card.
