So let me get this straight, Mark van Bommel of Bayern Munich and the Netherlands, this Mark van Bommel, has publicly backed fellow countryman Nigel de Jong’s game of hard tackling and ‘getting stuck in’ by stating he should not alter or change his style in the wake of de Jong’s international detention issued by Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk?
Mark Van Bommel Backs Nigel De Jong’s Tackling, Football Purists Gasp, Laugh
Really, were van Bommel and de Jong separated at birth? Widely known as two of the dirtiest players in the game, both players have a rap sheet a mile long of cautions, cards, sendings off and injuries issued. I guess we should have seen this coming, right? After all, it’s not very often the Pope announces he’s Catholic. The two being such similar, hard-tackling players, one should have assumed they’d back each other sooner or later as the rough and tough like to run in packs.
De Jong has been left out of the Dutch side that will take on Moldova and Sweeden this week in Euro 2012 Qualification stemming from his recent headline-grabbing tackle, where he again broke an opponents leg. Sunday it was Hatem Ben Arfa of Newcastle who suffered a broken tibia and fibula when the Toon took on de Jong’s Manchester City. As de Jong slid in catching Ben Arfa quite powerfully and quick, you just got that feeling ...
While de Jong’s list of shocking tackles doesn’t start with Ben Arfa, van Bommel remains in support of his teammate stating, “Nigel is and remains one of us, we find this all very frustrating. It’s very unfortunate that he has broken the leg of an opponent twice in six months”.
Um, OK, isn’t the proof in the pudding Mark?
The “twice in six months” van Bommel refers to came at the expense of US International and Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden in a Friendly v The Netherlands last March. Also, few can forget the Kung-Fu style kick performed on Spain’s Xabi Alonso during the World Cup Final in July, an act of berserk bodily control that warranted only a yellow while Alonso lay reeling in pain.
Later in the same interview where van Bommel backed de Jong, he seems to contradict his earlier sentiments by stating, “....but maybe he should occasionally go into a tackle slightly differently”, and “We are stronger with Nigel than without him. But he (Van Marwijk) did it for the overall good”.
While European football has already seen more than a few breaks this season thus far, it’ll take more managers the likes of van Marwijk to drop players who repeatedly commit dirty tackles or the legs just may keep breaking.
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