Wenger - Punish those who target Walcott
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Arsène Wenger has called on referees to punish any defender targeting Theo Walcott with over-zealous tackling.
The Arsenal winger already had a growing reputation as a dangerman but that has developed exponentially since his hat-trick for England in Croatia. On Wednesday night, Wenger complained that his Kyiv marker “could have been sent off three times” for fouls on the 19-year-old. Ahead of the trip to Bolton, the Frenchman was not arguing for special treatment, just fair treatment.
“Unfortunately, it is always the way of a player who gets a reputation for being dangerous,” he said. “The first answer he gets is harsh treatment. We do not expect any presents from anybody but we want the right protection from the referees.
“It is all in the rulebook [and] if you allow the first bad tackle then the second one becomes difficult for the referee.
“As I say we do not want any special protection but I thought Wednesday night, for example, the target was not the ball. If a guy plays hard it is down to Theo to deal with it. But if the guy targets Theo as an individual, he has to be punished.”
Last season, Wenger had similar concerns over Alex Hleb and described his legs as “black and blue” after certain games.
“Hleb got harsh treatment,” said the manager. “But he had a game that is very provocative. He invited the opponent and then escaped - like a matador.
“Sometimes the tackles are mistimed but Hleb had a game which would provoke that kind of reaction. In training, without even wanting to hurt him, that happened to him.”
If Hleb was Arsenal’s matador then Walcott is their gazelle. And, as we know, the latter is an increasingly rare creature.
That is why it has been deemed a protected species.
[Friday, September 19, 2008]
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