Jack Grealish may have scored a fantastic equaliser in Aston Villa’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham United, but he came under a lot of criticism for an “awful£ dive.
The 25-year-old made the most of an attempted swipe from Pablo Fornals which didn’t appear to connect, theatrically falling to the ground moments later while clutching his leg in apparent pain.
Grealish is having a fantastic season with Villa, scoring six goals and supplying six assists in 10 games across the board, but his simulation won’t go down well.
It’s never good to garner a reputation as a diver when you’re a player who is frequently fouled, but he’s been caught bang to rights and will now have to take the jabs which come his way.
https://twitter.com/LukeStenchion/status/1333681512466829312?s=20
Truly awful, he should get a 1 match ban he’d soon stop it.
— Jamie Denvers (@JamieDenvers80) December 1, 2020
Let’s himself down so much by acting like that! Amazing talent but most frustrating thing to watch him fall all over the place
— Bazzlaa (@bfrankland1) November 30, 2020
Honestly they should take retrospective action.
— Michael Baxter (@Marceloleeds) November 30, 2020
Sniper in the stand!
— Brian McKenna (@brianmckenna26) December 1, 2020
Pathetic
— Matt_robson * (@mattrobbo89) November 30, 2020
It is worth noting that no player in the Premier League has been fouled more times than Grealish (40) in 2020/21 – one foul every 20 minutes on average. Sadio Mane is the second-most fouled player in the top flight and only has 28 to his name – one every 26 minutes.
Most Villa fans will likely forgive the England international but it’s bound to go down badly with opposition supporters and maybe referees in the future. If officials feel a player has a habit of trying to buy fouls, they may not be awarded as frequently.
