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**Sleeper** · 01-13-2013, 07:32 AM

It was a dive, and he was looking to win a penalty. The reason he didn't appeal and looked sheepishly after going down was because there was no contact when he was expecting that the Villa player's tackle would make at least slight contact to justify going down. It's very similar to the Cazorla dive against West Brom.

The one thing I do find annoying is that people judge what is and isn't a dive based on contact. Most forwards these days when looking for a penalty try to anticipate contact, and go down when they think a defender is about to touch them with a tackle. In some instances the contact is made, and people are happy to call it a justified penalty and not a dive, but if there is no contact people get all up in arms about it. When in both instances the attacker is trying to win a penalty through deceptive means.

R.Scorpio · 01-13-2013, 07:32 AM

See that again is a very valid point. However the body language the following 10 seconds or so tell a completely different story. Look you may very well be right. However trying to look at the mental aspect of j-rod the second he hits the ground his head is in hands. He looks frustrated. I almost feel that foot giving out was him just giving up the play, the chance in his mind had gone. However again I could be wrong. I guess what I'm trying to say is without indisputable evidence that his intent was to look for the foul, labeling the guy a diver and a cheat is incredibly harsh. It's not blatant.