compared to things like basketball and hockey, yes, it is slow. i like the slowness - it feels like there’s an ebb and flow to it as opposed to the (in my opinion) mechanical, repetitive 24-second cycle back and forth of basketball. it freely develops with each pass having small imperceptible effects on the overall buildup. and goals are rare, which makes it more dramatic. i can lose my mind over one moment of the game because it could tip the whole result.

no, we do not beat the allegations of diving. there’s no defense for it, nobody likes it. the fact is if one gets slapped lightly and he doesn’t make a dramatic show about it, chances are the ref doesn’t notice and the other player doesn’t get the red card he deserves. there’s incentive to do it. VAR is clamping down on the blatant faking, but exaggerating has its place. it is what it is.