He clearly came in from the side, it's not two footed as it's the shin of his trailling leg that made contact after the leading foot played the ball just, and as you can see from the replay Valencia was nowhere near the ball so nowhere near the challenging leg. It's a foul for the trailing leg contact but it's not dangerous, get a grip lads. Velancia was ever so slightly blind-sided so didn't have a great view himself and I think he thought the tackle was worse than it was. I think you all think the tackle is worse than it was. Shin to calf imo. not stud, not a two footed and not from behind. Just my opinion like. [video=youtube;Fa5SqWCn1VY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa5SqWCn1VY[/video]
That's all well and good if was a vital game in a dangerous area of the pitch. In a friendly by the touchline it was ridiculous.
I'd be seriously pissed off with that tackle, against me, on the eve of the World Cup finals, Valencia obviously agrees.
I could see he was pissed off. Doesn't mean Sterling meant to hurt him, it was an attacking player's challenge. Naive but not malicious unlike the assault that followed. It's not like I'm taking sides, don't really care how England do. Just think Valencia went way over the top.
Assault 1.A violent physical or verbal attack 2.To make an assault upon attack He grabbed him by the throat. Why do people think the word Assault is worse than it actually is? Doesn't mean it's caused damage. Pushing someone is assault. It was an assault mate, I just see the word in it's actual context. If he took out a knife and stabbed him or stamped on his head I think I'd find a stronger word to use or at least raise it's severity with an appropriate adjective.
Sterling deserved to go. What a ridiculous tackle to make in a friendly......well in any match to be honest! Valencia lost it but I can see why, if it was Cattermole he would be banned for life and have a public flogging!!!
Wonder how much of that unnecessary tackle and reaction was ManU and LFC driven. Either way both of them were bloody crackers.
I can see where you're coming from Bri, but you didn't consider the fact he'd just been dispossessed further up the field. His intentions were probably to get the ball back and show passion, after losing the ball, but his inexperience ended up getting the better of him. I doubt it was malicious, but he rolled over the ball and the rules don't state there has to be contact, the foul was the lunge. Valencia was probably just a bit shocked that such a stupid little boy would even contemplate that type of tackle in a pre-tournament friendly. My reaction is probably based on a MUFC fan point of view, I hate Liverpool and I love Valencia so maybe a clouded judgement, I'm sure you'd feel equally aggrieved if he attempted that tackle on Borini (if you sign him). Valencia should have sent him to sleep in the changing rooms for that as far as I'm concerned.
Terry, the problem is the stupidity. We've had players like Beckham & Rooney helping to blow our World Cup chances through daft sendings-off haven't we? What annoyed me, last night, is that it reminded me of those. Prove your point by winning games, not by spitting your dummy out ffs
In a way mate, I'm disappointed that the red card counts for nothing, I think if Oxlade-Chamberlain is fit enough, he should start instead of Sterling, much, much more mature for me only he offers less of a goal threat. I just wish Woy would take his Liverpool specs off for one minute, I was livid to see Flanagan on that pitch last night, he's not even remotely good, he's ****ing shockingly poor, Caulker should have been picked over him.
Not sure what it being a friendly has to do with it. Hand around the throat is a red card. Lunge over the ball is a red card. Friendly or not
I disagree mate, both deserved to go. The rules don't need to be more lenient in a friendly, these games are set up to test the water with players and tactics and gain fitness, nothing else. There should be no bad blood between England and Ecuador for any reason, they both deserved the red cards in my opinion, especially since they mean nothing. The ref was spot on.
That's one thing I really can't work out. Rooney, a few seasons ago, got sent off in a pre season friendly for far less than Sterling and Valencia did. He picked up a ban which saw him miss the start of the season for both club and country iirc. Yet a straight red has no retribution? It basically gives carte Blanche to kick someone up a height, potentially causing serious injury with the only comeback being missing the end of a game??
If either the tackle or the reaction were bad enough to warrent straight then they too ought to have some sort of punishment after the game. The fact that it is friendly mean neither action will have any consequences. So therefore it being a friendly counts absolutely. A bit more pragmatism from the ref and the players chilling would have been better. Since a player from both sides got sent off, it doesn't mean there was really any difference to game, ie neither team was really punished. Also, that not neccassirly to say that they were or were not reds.
You sure you're not talking about his red against Montenegro in a World Cup Qualifier mate? Rules do need looked at though if that's the case for all friendlies, or they just get a buy cos it's a pre-WC friendly, no need for the authorities to ever encourage dirty play. Although it's still the player's fault, **** like that doesn't need to go down in a friendly, especially if we're not playing Scotland or Germany!
I think it's more about setting the standards mate, if you behave like that on any football pitch in any game, you're gonna walk. I respect the ref more for the reds than if he booked them both and said "It's only a friendly, fook the rules".
