Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has rushed to the defence of star player http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gareth-Bale-c14422, defending him against diving allegations.
The Welshman has come under scrutiny following last month’s double booking for diving. Bale has already gathered a reputation for being prone to going down after challenges, whether contact has been made or not.
The player was recently shown two successive yellow cards in the two games against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 and Fulham, which led to a one-match suspension where Bale missed a Tottenham game. The Welshman has received four yellow cards for diving this season, more than
any other player in the Premier League.
The player is understood to have met referee Andre Marriner last week in an attempt to understand why he keeps on receiving bookings for diving.
Villas-Boas insists that the player has been unfairly treated by the media and pundits and his tag as a diver is harsh. Marriner visited Tottenham’s training ground to have a chat with the manager and his player in order to discuss the situation. Villas-Boas
said:
“We received the visit of the referee this past week. Gareth and I spoke with the referee about this situation. Gareth has gone through a difficult time in his career. He has had potentially career threatening injuries and sometimes for the pace that he
goes at it looks like a dive from the player when he is actually protecting himself.”
“It’s a tag that if he has gained it is unfair. But it doesn’t bother him in any way shape or form.”
The Welshman missed Tottenham’s last game on account of a minor injury, but is set to return to the team for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Swansea City. The likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Michael-Dawson-c25288, Scott Parker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto may also return on the weekend,
giving Villas-Boas a major boost as he looks to bounce back from last week’s defeat against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Everton-c13019.
Tottenham are set to face a busy month as the festive period approaches, and with so many games and a congested fixture list, the manager will be relieved to see his squad back to its usual strength.
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