I think most defensive midfielders have committed fouls they aren’t necessarily proud of. What you don’t see in the image is that the ball is actually quite close. This was not an attack on Alonso per se, although it was not at all a clean attempt either.
Thing is, with football you have the kind of player that just doesn’t play with finesse and relies on being tough in duels, no backing down. De Jong was one of those.
These days, especially with VAR, you see a lot more deliberate kicks to Achilles tendons, knees, thighs, that get awarded direct reds. De Jong should’ve had a red card that day. But a red somewhere in your career shouldn’t mean you can never work in football again.
I think most defensive midfielders have committed fouls they aren’t necessarily proud of. What you don’t see in the image is that the ball is actually quite close. This was not an attack on Alonso per se, although it was not at all a clean attempt either.
Thing is, with football you have the kind of player that just doesn’t play with finesse and relies on being tough in duels, no backing down. De Jong was one of those.
These days, especially with VAR, you see a lot more deliberate kicks to Achilles tendons, knees, thighs, that get awarded direct reds. De Jong should’ve had a red card that day. But a red somewhere in your career shouldn’t mean you can never work in football again.