In recent years, the top division in China has slowly become a new locus of appealing, high-octane soccer. Some of this has to do with the big name stars the league has drawn in like Carlos Tevez, Alexandre Pato, Ricardo Carvahlo and a host of others.
However, in the past couple weeks, it seems a different pattern is getting all the attention — the bizarre displays of violence and aggression that have unfolded on the field.
Here’s what happened between Bahia defender Lucas Fonseca and Flamengo striker Paolo Guerrero on Sunday night, as recreated by The Matrix. Fonseca came sprinting at Guerrero and said something like:
Fonseca proceeded to kick him, so Guerrero wasn’t pleased, and Guerrero said:
Kevin de Bruyne is one of the best technical players in the world. His awareness and positioning are impeccable. His skill is rivaled by a mere few. It is extremely funny to watch him get hit in the face with a soccer ball. At least, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane think so.
Hugo Lloris might have Attention Deficit Disorder. The France and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper picked the wrong time to go on a little adventure, knotted 1-1 with Sweden at the end of a World Cup qualifier. He adventured so far out that when he misplaced his pass he was unable to get back to his goal before the ball rolled in. Sad!
Hugo Lloris, what are you doing??
When it comes to the heart-stopping, heartfelt and hilarious moments we love about soccer, we tend to focus on what unfolds on the pitch. It follows logic that a substitution -- an activity occurring on the periphery -- would not warrant much more attention than the obligatory clap that comes with one player's exit, another's entrance and some extra time tacked on to the end of the match.
With most domestic leagues moving towards the use of video evidence to retroactively ban players for simulation and feigning injury, and with the gradual implementation of Video Assistant Referees to stamp out the behavior altogether, football's greatest evil is heading out the door.
However, it’s literally leaving kicking and screaming like a petulant two-year-old that’s been denied viewing one more train on YouTube. The latest, and perhaps greatest, has come from 34-year-old former Serbian international Danko Lazovic in the Hungarian league.
Los comentarios de Bastian Schweinsteiger sobre la MLS la otra semana fueron menos una crítica a la liga que una dosis de honestidad: el Chicago Fire, aunque sea aspirante a la Copa Mundial, no es tan bueno como el Manchester United o el Bayern de Múnich. Dax McCarty no es Paul Pogba, David Accam no es Arjen Robben y Nemanja Nikolic no es Zlatan Ibrahimovic.