Michael van Gerwen on Gerwyn Price wearing ear protectors: ‘In his position, given his stature in darts, I wouldn’t do it’ | Darts News

Gerwyn Price wears ear protectors to keep out the vocal Ally Pally crowd during a 5-1 match against Gabriel Clemens in the World Darts Championship; Michael van Gerwen says Price is “going through a rough patch” while Wayne Mardle says Iceman’s actions show a rare sign of “weakness”.

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Gerwyn Price returns in the fifth set in a 5-1 quarterfinal defeat to Gabriel Clemens wearing protective headphones to keep the Ally Pally crowd out

Michael van Gerwen says Gerwyn Price “shouldn’t have put himself in that position” after the world No. 1 put on headphones during a heavy loss to Gabriel Clemens in the quarterfinals of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. .

Price donned bulky ear protectors in the fifth set of his 5-1 win on Sunday night to drown out boos from the crowd, and later wrote on Instagram that he wasn’t sure if Will I play at the World Championship again?

Van Gerwen – who beat Chris Dobey 5-0 later in the night to go on to win a fourth world championship – said he would not do what Price did but sympathize with a player who is ” going through a tough time.”

Price will play at the World Championships again?

Title-loving Van Gerwen said of 2021 champion Price: “In his position, given his caliber in darts, I wouldn’t do it but he’s going through a phase. difficult.

“[Wearing ear defenders] never been done with darts before and he doesn’t need it either, but he’s having a hard time so he’s thinking about things.

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Wayne Mardle says Price’s decision to wear ear protectors is a sign that Iceman is feeling the pressure.

“He shouldn’t have put himself in that position but unfortunately it’s darts.”

Sky sports darts pundit Wayne Mardle said Price’s actions showed a rare sign of “weakness” and hoped Iceman’s suggestion that he might never get back with Ally Pally was just a “reaction”. instant” in the face of a crushing defeat.

Price reeled from consecutive heavier shots on his way to the waltz despite the opening set but then lost five in a row as Clemens, the first German to reach the semifinals of the World Championships, averaged. 99.94 compared to 94.58 for the Welsh player.

Mardle: Price is clearly feeling the pressure

Mardle said: “Obviously Gerwyn brought ear protectors before this game. That’s what he’s thinking about.

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Price crossed tons of checks in the first set against Gabriel Clemens – before being beaten by the Germans

“The fact that he’s had them for about a week shows you that there’s a little bit of weakness there but there’s nothing about him that’s weak – he confronts everything and takes everything in stride. mine.

“Usually he handles things brilliantly but obviously he feels pressured and not 100 per cent comfortable at the moment.

“Mentally, he can’t be that strong when normally that’s his game. He’s one of the most mentally strong darts players I’ve ever known.

“I think he’s dropped in the last couple of months and maybe because he’s not at his best maybe he’s a bit fragile. Gerwyn fell behind after the first set and couldn’t find anything. , that’s strange.

“I hope [saying he might not play at Ally Pally again] just a knee jerk reaction

“When you put on over-complicated ear protectors, they’re not for you, they’re for the crowd. It’s ‘I’m telling you, shut up, shut up, stay out of it’.

“People in the media told me he’s been training with ear protectors so I don’t know if they’ll take him off – but I find it rather odd that he would be so meticulous as to show the crowd see that he doesn’t care what they say. think.”

‘Van Gerwen Looks Like a Million Dollars’

In stark contrast to Price, Van Gerwen made it through his quarter-final on three legs as he destroyed the final eight debutants Dobey.

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Mardle says Michael van Gerwen is brimming with confidence after beating Chris Dobey 5-0 at Ally Pally

Mardle added: “The MVG is brilliant, he looks worth a million dollars.

“He’s flowing and playing with a freedom you don’t see many players playing with. He’s not the top Van Gerwen yet but he’s better than what we’ve seen in the last two or three years.

“It’s strange that he didn’t win this tournament. He looks so relaxed.”

Watch the PDC World Darts Championship semi-final – Gabriel Clemens vs Michael Smith, followed by Michael van Gerwen vs Dimitri Van den Bergh – live on Sky Sports Darts from 7:30pm Monday.