Muamba: Tackling is a dying art

The Wanderers man feels that referees are clamping down harder on challenges than ever before, making his job more difficult. The England Under-21 international, who has attempted more tackles than anyone else in the Premier League this season, believes the rule-makers have made it hard to separate the guilty from the innocent. And Muamba is insistent that neither he nor his team-mates will change their approach to games as they travel to face Aston Villa on Saturday. "Football these days is being played by the rules too much," said the 22-year-old. "Everyone has got a different view on the way things are done or should be done. No one seems to agree. "Referees always seem like they have something to prove and they're being put under the spotlight a lot. "When you tackle, you want to be as fair as you possibly can. "You want to get the ball but it's the opposing player's reaction that worries me. "It makes you think you can't tackle any more. "You have to be careful, do the best you can, and that's what we do in every single game. "The opposition crowd has got a lot to do with it as well. "Referees are being influenced a lot by that. People are picking up yellow cards for no reason."