It's time we gave this debate a rest, no?
Barcelona delighted the home crowd, scored goals, and sent up about a billion Vine loops in a 6-1 dismantling of Celta de Vigo. So what was the problem?
Some in the media - and you can have a guess at where this originates - claim it was a sign of disrespect to use tricks, skills, or whatever you want to call it.
There was Neymar's rainbow flick.
Neymar: naughty.https://t.co/Q7TTQ29AB6
— 888sport (@888sport) February 15, 2016
And there was Messi's "Cruyff penalty."
Neymar is a serial disrespecter, which, before reading certain sections of the media, I would have naively called a guy who makes magic happen on the pitch to the delight and entertainment of the viewing audience. But apparently we should be aghast that a guy who is good at a sport did something completely legal to best another man at that sport.
I'm not sure how Ronaldinho got away with it all those years. To think when millions watch YouTube compilations of his exploits, or when kids try those tricks out on the playground, he is seducing us to the Dark Side.
The reality is we should be happy that someone is trying to impress us with their imagination. I'm pretty sure that's one of the primary draws of football.
Even Celta's players were OK with it, even though apparently the press was mad on their behalf.
Celta's coach Eduardo Berizzo: "Barça's forwards are very respectful. And they can score the way they want.""
Defender Carles Planas: "It wasn't disrespectful, it's just another way to take a penalty. They executed it in a brave and skillful way."
Goalkeeper Sergio Cabral: "We are annoyed a bit, but because we conceded, not for what they did."
Celta deserve plaudits for not being bitter about it, and for taking the right attitude. if you really hate their use of a skill, stop them from being able to pull it off.
The media treated it differently. Let's be honest, the Madrid press would be ecstatic if Real Madrid had done it and not Barcelona. And probably the Barcelona press would condemn it in that case, and that's just ridiculous. Some bias is inevitable, but the cheerleading to this extreme is boring.
Lost in all this is the fact that these tricks are a legitimate way to gain an advantage in sports. Neymar does flicks to get by people. He's not doing it with the end goal of kicking the ball out of bounds or to please a sponsor.
Considering Barcelona's shoddy conversion rate on penalties, wasn't a pass just the sensible option? Doesn't it now give a bit of pause to rival goalkeepers, the thought that it might be a pass? It's all worth asking. But let's look at the opposite argument - that Barcelona purposefully chose a play less likely to result in a goal. Does that mean the classy thing to do is to ensure you go 4-1 up? Is that supposed to make Celta happy?
Yes, Barcelona didn't do these unusual things when the match was close, but they didn't start only at 6-1 up. The penalty was done at 3-1 up, and while I'd never bet money on Celta coming back, it's not out of the bounds of possibility for a team as good as Celta to score 2 against a defense that has in prior games switched off when leading.
But let's assume Celta were never going to get back in the game - so what? Isn't it cool BECAUSE they didn't have to do it? The worst case scenario is that they spent time practicing it and executing it purely for the entertainment of the crowd and the fans on TV and the internet. How... horrible?
And with so many problems in football - abuse, diving, horrible fouls - we're focusing on something innocuous, designed to give joy? And before you start - Barcelona and every team in the world is guilty to some degree of the unsavory stuff. It's not about which team is the worst, it's about getting rid of all of it.
Speaking of which, is John Guidetti's "I can't hear you" celebration disrespectful to the Camp Nou?
Celta de Vigo score! Ex-Celtic man, Guidetti, scores from a penalty against Barcelona, to hopefully wrap up Bet One. http://pic.twitter.com/qOguiHMRVG
— Mr. Sincere (@Mr_Sincere_Tips) February 14, 2016
I guess you could say it might be, and he's not even doing it for the sake of getting by someone. But so what? Honestly, everyone has to rein it in with the #respect stuff. Look - respect is VERY much needed, but to end fans chanting racial abuse at black players and all sorts of horrible things like that. It's not needed to stop someone - anyone, no matter the team - from doing a rainbow flick, celebrating too much, or tweeting emojis.
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