Glen Johnson's two-footed lunge near the end last night's victory again Manchester City has provoked the ire of Roberto Mancini, and I can totally understand why. I agree with Mancini - it was arguably worse than Vincent Kompany's tackle against Man United but, as per usual, Liverpool fans, players and management will never admit it.
Take a look at the tackle below - It is beyond me how anyone can credibly argue that this is not a (potentially dangerous) two-footed tackle. Johnson hurls himself into the air, and both his feet are clearly off the ground:
If Johnson had mistimed the tackle and connected with Joleon Lescott's leg, the consequences could've been extremely serious.
If Kompany and Jay Spearing got sent off [against Fulham], then Johnson deserved to get sent off too. Obviously, I'm very glad he didn't get a red card (!), but I'm not going to delude myself and pretend that the tackle wasn't dangerous just because I support Liverpool.
In both instances, Johnson and Kompany got the ball, and if it was down to me neither player would be disciplined. However, the damage that can result from a mistimed two-footed lunge can sometimes be significant, so I can understand why they're (usually) outlawed.
Jaimie Kanwar
Take a look at the tackle below - It is beyond me how anyone can credibly argue that this is not a (potentially dangerous) two-footed tackle. Johnson hurls himself into the air, and both his feet are clearly off the ground:
If Johnson had mistimed the tackle and connected with Joleon Lescott's leg, the consequences could've been extremely serious.
If Kompany and Jay Spearing got sent off [against Fulham], then Johnson deserved to get sent off too. Obviously, I'm very glad he didn't get a red card (!), but I'm not going to delude myself and pretend that the tackle wasn't dangerous just because I support Liverpool.
In both instances, Johnson and Kompany got the ball, and if it was down to me neither player would be disciplined. However, the damage that can result from a mistimed two-footed lunge can sometimes be significant, so I can understand why they're (usually) outlawed.
Jaimie Kanwar
was a bad tackle.says alot about johnson and his discipline.there was an incident where skrtel made a brilliant tackle in his own box and stayed on his feet when it was easier to slide in.it made me think that it was drilled into the player to keep your discipline and not make rash challenges.johnson had a surprisingly good game at left back but was lucky to escape a red.
ReplyDeleteI can only see johnson slide to clear the ball not trying to tackle the player with the ball. That the difference between Kompany and Spearing red card.
ReplyDeleteSo you are suggesting that Kompany and Spearing tried to tackle the player and not the ball. Have you even seen those two tackles? If you had, then I don't see how you could think that. Johnson's was far worse than either those tackles.
ReplyDeleteNo i don't agree he Lescotte was nowhere near the ball .Jhonson used his TWO feet to put the ball out of play he did not touch Lescotte so its not a TACKLE at all . Milner is as bad as Rooney but its not all over the news he tried to get jhonson sent off putting two fingers up to the ref .Mancini is a hypocrite .
ReplyDeletekompany got the ball and his legs were lower to the ground.
ReplyDeleteI mean that both of them trying to clear the ball where the opposition player are dribbling it. Johnson is trying to clear the ball as fast as he can. Yes it is dangerous if the other player reach it first. This case is like Holden(I not sure if he is the player who broke a leg when both player trying to clear the ball) case
ReplyDeleteThe refs ought to be shot! Kompany and Spearing's tackles weren't red cards to me, but Johnson's clearly is. That said, good for us Kompany got the red and Johnson didn't!
ReplyDeleteDefinite red, and in the context of the Spearing / Kompany challenges whereby the refs applied the rules of both feet off the ground / lunging no one can question it but sure they will.
ReplyDeleteMancini has taken over from Wenger has the Premier Leagues biggest Whinger!!!
ReplyDeleteJohnson should have been sent off.
ReplyDeleteWill be keeping an eye on the two-footed lunge master that is Stevie G.
p.s. Johnson, never ever try to outmuscle Richards as you will be made to look silly like yesterday. Not a bad game and don't think it was his fault the tactical mess in the second half by Daglish.
I think it was a red card by the standards Kompany got it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, Kompany should have not got a red-card. But as you know how it works with FA. What Man Und want they get.
Can you imagine Vidic is given a red-card for a tackle similar to Kompany's and then 4 match ban is not lifted after an appeal ? NO WAY!
FA works for only one club in Premier League!
Has anyone bothered to read Law 12? It is not a foul to intercept the ball with two feet whilst sliding. An offense of 'serious foul play' (punishable by a red card) is committed when "any player lunges directly at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent".
ReplyDeleteKompany lunged directly at Nani while challenging for the ball, as is obvious because the Nani had to hurdle Kompany's legs to avoid injury.
Johnson intercepted the ball and did not lunge directly at Lescott, which is clear because Lescott actually kicked Johnson's back after arriving late. The ball was not in Lescott's possession.
It may appear to be similar to Kompany's tackle, but appearances can be deceptive.
Even as a Liverpool fan, I find this post embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, Manchester United are at fault for this also? Paranoia!..
ReplyDeleteI was looking at it again and it doesn't make sense to leave your feet in that situation! He would have got the ball quicker if he had run on to it sliding and throwing your two feet at it slows you down!
ReplyDeleteyou obviously a man utd f a g
ReplyDeleteFor me it's the same, but yesteday's decision was the right
ReplyDeleteJohnson's tackle was worse. Pointless to argue against that. A nice old-fashioned flying tackle I must say but the law is the law. It was a straight red.
ReplyDeleteIf he had caught the player then yes a straight red card, but he did not catch him so there is no problem in my eyes. If you look at the other man city player he just carried on as well so he obviously was not that bothered by the tackle either. If he had stayed on his feet and got beaten by lescott you would of castigated him for being a rubbish defender( I agree with you on that), but he made a good hard challenge and won the ball without touching Lescott so fair play to him.
ReplyDeleteintellectual assessment ruined by some comments from half a brain idiots!
ReplyDeleteDoes the law not say something about being in controll?
ReplyDeleteThats why this is red card, No he didnt jump at Lescott but accross him but when you jump in like that with two feet you are not in control. He should have been sent off no question.
Well played Liverpool by the way was at game last night and you showed real guts to keep us out in 2nd half, didnt give us a sniff.
spot on it was more of an interception than a tackle lescott didnt have the ball
ReplyDeletewhat?
ReplyDeleteIf referees are anything but consistent, johnson should be sent off. What was he thinking??? Almost the end of the match and there isn't any danger whatsoever...
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Stevie though, Mancini shouldn't try to get johnson sent off, he's complaining about ronney and yet he's doing it to others...
After watching the game for almost 30 years, I got used to unfair and unjust in the game, think you should cool it too Jaimie...
love it! i was already decided that it was an interception, im delighted with this post
ReplyDeletecout you are a sad man, it was a professional European away performance, what do you want all out attack and get beat 3-1 ?
ReplyDeletewatch it again no one had the ball
ReplyDeletespot on crems
ReplyDeleteTIT nar bad shout
ReplyDeletei now know you are totally thick johnson did not touch lescott at all the ball was loose and johnson got there first by sheer will to win,
ReplyDeletePlease make your points without the needless personal insults.
ReplyDeleteZAKI so your correct end of subject? nar your wrong
ReplyDeleteThe Best Tackle I've ever seen !!!
ReplyDeleteits a shame some people cannot take a discussion serious and accept that the tackle was horrendous and deserved a straight red! good post by obvoiusly an intelligent broad minded guy
ReplyDeleteits a shame we have some half brain muppets in the world so albion i agree
ReplyDeleteIn todays game last nights tackle was a definate straight red. Saying that Johnson was a rock in defence all game, WHAT a tackle on Aguerro in the box!! The lad has been fantastic in defence all season proving that he is not as dopey as people think.
ReplyDeleteIt was only a red card in the sense that if the rules state Kompany's was, that should be. In a sensible world, neither would be a red card.
ReplyDelete@Richard: So, in your books it is OK for one player to execute a flying kick at an opponent and not receive any booking whatsoever just because the intended kick misses its target? What a flawed argument?
ReplyDeleteBut... that's not a law.
ReplyDeleteYes, undeniably he flew through the air with two feet off the ground in a more spectacular fashion than Kompany, but that's not the issue. You can't even call it a 'tackle' because Lescott didn't have the ball - nowhere near!
If the ref had to send off a player for having two feet off the floor, then he'd have to send them off for jumping for a header. Here's why: Law 12 also states that jumping AT a player is an offense. But of course, jumping NEAR a player isn't an offense.
In the same way, because Johnson wasn't lunging directly at Lescott, he wasn't putting him in danger. Would you send a defender off if they were nowhere near another player and went to collect a ball with a two-footed slide? No.
Johnson's trajectory was not towards the opponent. End of. That's the law and it's pointless for you to argue against that.
No, the law doesn't say anything about "control". It does say that use of "excessive force" directly towards an opponent is the punishable offense.
ReplyDeleteBut in any case, would you send a player off for being 'out of control' if there were no other players in danger? No you wouldn't. so control is not the issue here; rather, the safety of the players is. Bicycle/scissor/overhead kicks are covered under the same law; these actions are not punishable in themselves, but only if they endanger another player.
Lescott was not in any danger. In fact I think he was looking for the foul by trailing his leg!
Don't agree with you. Lescott did not have the ball under control at his feet. Glenn intercepted a loose ball and there was no way his tackle could have injured anyone. Lescott was not in the direction of his 2 footed tackle. They were both going after a loose ball and Glenn got there first.
ReplyDeleteThis is different from the Kompany's tackle & the Spearing's one. There is simply no basis for comparison. How could you lump them all up and compare just because they are all 2 footed tackles.
Agree with you absolutely. Not familiar with Law 12 but glad you cited it. There would have been gross injustice if Glenn was red carded.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the angle of Johnson's run and the ball relative to Lescott then I would say that he is not tackling Lescott, rather he is attempting to (and successfully) intercept the ball before it gets to him.
ReplyDeleteYou will also see that Johnson has taken the ball away before Lescott even gets there....Lescott actually ends up kicking Johnson high on Johnson's leg as he goes past him.
ReplyDeleteI agree, too many people are calling this a tackle. Johnson intercepted the ball BEFORE it got to Lescot...and as everyone can see ...he slide in front of Lescot.
ReplyDeleteI believe he was going for the ball and won the ball without touching the player. The only contact between players was when lescott kicked the back of Johnson as he slid past.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate discussion I have to of said the comments that you have attributed to me to have a flawed argument.
Should have been a yellow card and a free kick. Was a two footed challenge but not as bad as Kompany's.
ReplyDelete1) Johnson came in from the side, Kompany head on. Sliding in from head on is much more dangerous as the force is the combined momentum of the two players. Also, if Kompany had missed the ball it would have more than likely ended in a broken leg. If Johnson missed the ball he would have also probably missed the player.
2) Both of Johnsons feet were on the ball. For me, the worst part of Kompany's tackle was that one foot was tackling the ball, while the other foot was half way up Nani's shin. Johnson put both his feet in the same place and so it cannot be deemed as reckless as Kompany's
To all of you above....the high and mighty righteous who post as if you are the LAW in football tackles....go play some football sometime and get over yourselves...it was a damn good tackle!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone knows the rules...
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion many of the MotD commentators should be fined for criticizing the referees (on both occassions) even though they have done nothing wrong. It is of no help to the Respect campaign.
(And I'm an impartial Chelsea fan, I hate ManU, City and Liverpool equally!)
That is irrelevant. Two footed lunge and studs showing, that is a red according to the RULES
ReplyDeletethe intelligent muppet strikes again!
ReplyDeleteThank god that the world has your intelligence to benefit from otherwise where would all we unintelligent ones be?
ReplyDeleteWhere would the rest of us unintelligent ones (and the world for that matter) be without Contour's INTELLIGENCE?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever played football? Horrendous! What are you talking about?
ReplyDeleteSo if people disagree with your view are you saying that they are a half brain muppet?
ReplyDeleteSpot on Tom - the reason most people are spouting nonsense here and on every football forum is because they've been whipped into a frenzy by inaccurate reporting, language and reference to the 'laws of the game'...
ReplyDeleteHow many times have you heard pundits talk about two-footed lunges being outlawed? Loads! But even they never put it into context or quote the laws accurately.
FIFA and the FA make these general statements about particular issues (e.g. two-footed challenges) to clarify the application of the laws; but most people (including the 'professional' commentators) then twist the meaning.
It won't be a popular comment, but I for one think the standard of refereeing has improved amazingly these days; referees do a great job given the speed of the game and the tools they have at their disposal. They're only human. And the rest of us make a judgement after we've seen everything in super slow-motion from five angles after the event.
I am a supporter of the introduction of video technology, but the decisions would still come down to interpretation of the laws.
In the meantime, I agree that commentators need to have some Respect and keep their mouths shut. They're worse than the footballers...
Jaimie K, you mentioned Spearing and Kompany tackles and link them with Johnson's to suggest they would have been red carded.
ReplyDeleteOK.Why didn't you mention Lampard's tackle in that category and suggest Johnson won't have been red carded too?
you see why I have always say your analysis in Liverpool's page is not purel objective but subjected to some biased driving thoughts.
Brilliant tackle by Glen Johnson in the box on Kolarov .
ReplyDeletethats slow motion for you, looks worse than it was, great tackle.
ReplyDeletekompany had a soft as shit sending off, otherwise we would not be talking about this. johnson played a blinder defending last night ............yes defending! it was two footed but timed to perfection and didnt touch lescott so wats the problem. thats my opinion
thats the reality, its a mans game and that was a safe no nonsense interseption. it was not reckless. would of been bad had he made contact. but wats the difference jumping in eyes closed for a header and splitting someones head open and sparking them out??
ReplyDeleteWell said Madness. That's my point exaclty.
ReplyDeletelol. its a conspiracy :)
ReplyDeletewell said.
ReplyDeleteWell said Robert. As per Adriaan's earlier post :
ReplyDelete"Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play."
No sense in nitpicking, the law is the law. Period.
I see your point. Still, I'm pretty sure Johnson realised Lescott was coming towards the ball. I just can't see the necessity of the spectacular airborne lunge he made. IMHO, Johnson could've just race towards the ball, get the ball away from Lescott cleanly with both feet on the ground, and keep the ball in play.
ReplyDeleteIntellectual comments on football:)
ReplyDelete