Mata quit on a play leading to a crushing late goal in the first leg. Again.
Sarcasm isn't always becoming of you. You'd be right except that per the other replay Callens' elbow actually doesn't make contact with Meram's chin; he extended his arm parallel to Meram and not into Meram, and Meram made contact with the arm. Forearms to the back of the head are routinely not called or given a yellow - look at Maxi and Villa this season with the number of times they've endured it and gotten nothing. Two guys going for a header routinely get popped by the other and nothing is called, or if it is, a simple foul at most, unless there's blood. Meram made a meal of it with his writhing around on the ground.It's pretty egregious how he held his chin exactly in the spot where Callens wanted to put his elbow.
He's an absolutely horrible Left Back - His defense was atrocious on at least one goal (Afful) and he didn't get back on the 4v2 goal. It'd have been one thing if he came on as a wing, but he was a LB (so was that Vieira's tactical fault or Mata's implementation?).Mata quit on a play leading to a crushing late goal in the first leg. Again.
Both. But the giving up part is what kills me.He's an absolutely horrible Left Back - His defense was atrocious on at least one goal (Afful) and he didn't get back on the 4v2 goal. It'd have been one thing if he came on as a wing, but he was a LB (so was that Vieira's tactical fault or Mata's implementation?).
On top of those that you just listed, there were far too many buildups where we had an attacking advantage and lost possession. There was also the great through ball by Brillant to Villa who put it wide. We had lots of chances.Lots of people talking about defensive / goalkeeping mistakes but I agree with Paddy in focusing on offensive issues. And yes, Columbus had a lot of missed chances too, but away goals are worth more.
Not to mention that if we had scored an early away goal, Columbus wouldn't have been able to bunker and counter and we may have had more.
- Harrison in on goal: A bad touch
- Harrison in on goal 2: A touch 2 much
- Rodney one on one
- Villa off the post
We have some mental issues to sort out.
It's pretty egregious how he held his chin exactly in the spot where Callens wanted to put his elbow.
he extended his arm parallel to Meram and not into Meram, and Meram made contact with the arm
Villa gets a red card against Houston for hands to the face. If they implement this he better be careful. He's not a dirty player but he has had a number of incidents since he came here where he kicks or lashes out at an opponent in a minor and plausibly deniable way. Most recent before last night was game 1 against TFC. The TFC fans moaned about it all week.
Review changed the way a catch is defined in the NFL such that nobody is happy or even knows what the rule is anymore. In baseball, it altered how they call sliding over a base. I expect in soccer strict enforcement of minor offenses will likely become the norm under video review.
Be careful what you wish for.
Sarcasm isn't always becoming of you. You'd be right except that per the other replay Callens' elbow actually doesn't make contact with Meram's chin; he extended his arm parallel to Meram and not into Meram, and Meram made contact with the arm. Forearms to the back of the head are routinely not called or given a yellow - look at Maxi and Villa this season with the number of times they've endured it and gotten nothing. Two guys going for a header routinely get popped by the other and nothing is called, or if it is, a simple foul at most, unless there's blood. Meram made a meal of it with his writhing around on the ground.
I'd have had no problem with a yellow being given, but Elfath made the match about him with a Red on that play.
My read of the situation was that he saw Meram coming, put his elbow up to establish his space (if he gets his shoulder in front of Meram, Meram has no right to get him out of the way) but put it up too high. I don't think he aims his elbow at Meram's face, but his elbow and Meram's face are going towards the same place. It was naive and maybe a little clumsy, but I don't think he's dumb enough to attempt, or gains any advantage out of, clocking Meram. Call it a geometrical miscalculation.
Meram absolutely makes a meal of the contact, but come on, that's a red card. Callens is looking right at him and throws that elbow up.
If that elbow caught him inadvertently while Callens was jumping for the ball, I would get being upset about a red card, but there is no reason for that elbow to be that high when he is just making a run
Let's also talk about how he was dumb enough to do this on an OFFENSIVE corner.
There’s no reason for any defender to have their hand out when a cross comes into the box, but they do all the time while looking at the ball (intent?) even if they don’t make contact. <sarcasm but serious>
Meram absolutely makes a meal of the contact, but come on, that's a red card. Callens is looking right at him and throws that elbow up.
If that elbow caught him inadvertently while Callens was jumping for the ball, I would get being upset about a red card, but there is no reason for that elbow to be that high when he is just making a run
Let's also talk about how he was dumb enough to do this on an OFFENSIVE corner.
I'd have had no problem with a yellow being given, but Elfath made the match about him with a Red on that play.
There’s no reason for any defender to have their hand out when a cross comes into the box, but they do all the time while looking at the ball (intent?) even if they don’t make contact. <sarcasm but serious>
My issue with the red last night is that the elbow did not make contact. The head wasn’t hit by anything. It was his forearm and Meram’s upper chest/maybe neck. Of course Callens looks at Meram because he knows the play is about the start and Meram is marking him - to not look would be crazy - but that doesn’t mean he was sizing him up for a hit, as Christopher Jee points out, it looked like Callens was boxing out for position. Meram is contorting his body away from the ball, with his right arm wrapping around Callen’s body, as it’s coming in - that’s not playing the ball, that’s playing the man, or in this case the arm.
So watching last night, I absolutely thought it was a red, and still do. I just can't argue against it at all.There’s no reason for any defender to have their hand out when a cross comes into the box, but they do all the time while looking at the ball (intent?) even if they don’t make contact. <sarcasm but serious>
My issue with the red last night is that the elbow did not make contact. The head wasn’t hit by anything. It was his forearm and Meram’s upper chest/maybe neck. Of course Callens looks at Meram because he knows the play is about the start and Meram is marking him - to not look would be crazy - but that doesn’t mean he was sizing him up for a hit, as Christopher Jee points out, it looked like Callens was boxing out for position. Meram is contorting his body away from the ball, with his right arm wrapping around Callen’s body, as it’s coming in - that’s not playing the ball, that’s playing the man, or in this case the arm.