Injuries are never a pleasant sight in any sport. Especially in football. The severities and complications could ruin the careers of players completely. Some would say injuries are just part and parcel of the game. But injuries are also avoidable incidents in the game. One such avoidable incident leading to an injury occurred during Liverpool‘s 2-1 win away at Tottenham. Liverpool’s star striker, Alexander Isak, suffered a serious injury when Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven tackled him. This happened when Isak was setting up to shoot in front of the goal. Funnily, Isak scored, but ended up getting injured in the process. The over-the-top tackle from Micky van de Ven has received mixed reactions from the football community.
Micky van de Ven and his tackle
Micky van de Ven is a star center-back in the Premier League. He excels as one of the quickest defensive players in the world. With great movement away from possession, pinpoint tackling, and positional awareness, Van de Ven is an exceptional defender. Despite Tottenham’s continual run of poor results, Van de Ven hasn’t been poor. Other than fulfilling his defensive duties, Van de Ven has also scored six times this season. That is a seriously good goal tally to flex, while being a defender.
However, Van de Ven is now going through the scanner of football moralities. It is an extremely difficult job to be a defender. One mistimed tackle could ruin the outlook of a defender completely. Micky van de Ven is also having to face scrutiny because of one mistimed tackle. He aggressively plunged onto Alexander Isak, attempting to prevent a goal. It was a sliding tackle from Van de Ven that took out Isak’s leg that was planted on the ground. The immediate look of the situation did not look very good.
Scrutiny against Micky van de Ven
We have witnessed on so many previous occasions in which the course of a team’s season has completely changed because of one injury. A few seasons back, when Jordan Pickford injured Virgil van Dijk in a similar tackle to this Van de Ven slide tackle, Liverpool’s season collapsed. Their team morale dipped, and the team’s core was disrupted. They looked lost in that season. This is exactly why Van de Ven is being heavily scrutinised and criticised by some for his tackle on Isak.
Pundits have shared their views, while some of the former referees have also joined in the discussion. Most of them chose to criticise the tackle, calling it deserving of a red card. However, former referee Dermot Gallagher had a different opinion. “I can’t see that he’s done anything that a footballer wouldn’t. I would be astonished if that was given as a red card anywhere on the field. Players mistime challenges all the time. He’s slightly late… it’s not a red card. Whether it be in the penalty area, in the D, the centre circle or the other half.” Gallagher said.
Van de Ven apoligises
Van de Ven has now revealed that he sent an apology to Alexander Isak after the tackle. “I sent him a text because I didnāt want to injure him, or to do something to hurt him of course. I just wanted to try to block the shot. It was a bit unlucky how his foot landed between my legs. So I sent him a text afterwards and I wanted to wish him all the best of course.” Van de Ven said, speaking to Sky Sports.
Conclusion
Despite both players being in good spirits about the incident, the managers haven’t been too happy. Arne Slot has claimed the tackle to be “reckless,” triggering Thomas Frank to hit back by disagreeing with the Liverpool manager. Amidst all the controversy, everyone involved would be hoping for Isak’s recovery to happen as soon as possible.
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