Over time there has been a growing reputation that many soccer players are weak. Now the context in which this is said is extremely important.
Often players who go down with minimal contact and roll around on the ground as if they have just been shot are the reason that causes so much anger with fans around the world.
So, when fans call soccer players weak, it is in this context that it is often referred to. Also, this will be no surprise to see that some soccer players are indeed stronger than other players.
In this article we will go through why soccer players are so weak as well as the following:
- Why do soccer players flop so much?
- Why do soccer players overreact?
- Do soccer players actually get hurt?
If you are looking to find out why soccer players are so weak and why that act the way they do when tackled then read on!!
Why are soccer players so weak?
This statement can often be seen in one of two ways. Firstly it will refer to the way players go down to the ground when contact is made by another player.
Far too often we see a soccer player drop to the ground when quite clearly there has been minimal contact if any at all.
Yet the player who was fouled rolls around on the ground for five to ten seconds, seemingly in agony only for them to hop straight up and continue playing with no signs of injury.
Now, this is not always the case. In some instances, a player will be tackled by an opposing player and there is significant contact.
Medical Attention
The fouled player will then lay on the ground and writhing in pain. There is an injury from the contact for the fouled player and they will need medical attention.
Even when there is severe contact on a player, the fans and other players will often be up in arms simply because of the trend that happens when players go down without hardly any contact.
It makes it hard for the referee to determine what exactly has happened as sometimes there is contact and a serious injury to the player.
Feign Injury
Whereas other times it seems like there was not any contact at all and the player gets up and continues to play with no signs of injury.
The other way a soccer player can be deemed to be so weak is that physically, the player is weaker than other players. This is usually seen when a winger goes up against a central defender.
As most wingers are small in stature (Adama Traore aside) they rely on their low center of gravity and their quickness to get past defenders.
Wingers are often smaller players but when it comes to defenders, most of the time they are tall and physically imposing.
This is needed because more often than not, the physical size of the defender is needed when going toe-to-toe with the opposition’s strikers.
So, when players are called weak, it can be either the way they go down with little to no contact or the fact that they are actually not physically gifted as other players.
Why do soccer players flop so much?
Simply, so that they can draw a foul and win a free kick.
Because goals in soccer are so hard to come by, more often than not, players will go to long lengths to get the best possible chance at scoring a goal.
More often than not this occurs when the ball is near the goal. If there is little contact, sometimes a player will go down in order to win a free kick for their team.
This then puts them in a good position to put the ball into the box and a good chance to score a goal.
Penalty Box
The other area that soccer players tend to flop a lot is in the penalty box.
As mentioned above, goals are so hard to come by in soccer and if there is the smallest hint of contact by a defender in the penalty area, a player will go down.
This is to draw the referee’s attention that a foul has occurred and that a penalty should be given.
Sometimes what will happen is if it is deemed to be denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, then a penalty will be awarded, and then the player who fouled the opposition will be given a red card.
Generally speaking, players will flop to deceive the referee to give a foul. This also works away from the goal or penalty box.
The Final Minutes
If a team is 1-0 up and the game is entering the last five minutes, often players will go down at any sign of contact.
Why do you say? To waste time. By constantly going down and drawing what looks to be fouled, the game stops by the time keep going and this limits the opposition’s chances of scoring the goal needed to get a result.
Why do soccer players overreact?
This is a simple one. Players overreact to:
- Get a player yellow or red carded
- Influence the referee’s decision
- Trying to get a penalty
Soccer players will overreact to a challenge (tackle) or a decision to influence the referee’s decision. If it is a derby game for example with Barcelona and Real Madrid, tempers are already high.
If there is a 50/50 challenge and players collide, other players will overreact and thrown their arms in the air yelling for a foul to be called.
This is done to perhaps influence the referee into showing a yellow or red card.
We see so many times that during a game when a foul has been called, players will surround the referee in order to get the decision that will benefit their team.
Do soccer players actually get hurt?
Of course, soccer players get hurt. But what makes it tough to judge is that too often players go down to the ground after minimal contact and appear to be in severe pain. Only to then get straight back up and continue playing.
However, sometimes, a player will be tackled or bumped/pushed and an injury actually occurs to the fouled player.
While sometimes it appears that players do not get injured from a challenge, they also do get injured but it makes it hard to determine because of the excessive flopping that occurs.
Sources:
