Arsenal FC

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• Manager:Arsene Wenger

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Wenger blasts Stoke tactics

04 Nov 2008 - 15:26:02

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has launched a furious tirade about the over-physical treatment he feels has been dished out to his players this season.

Wenger was speaking a matter of days after the 2-1 defeat at Stoke City, during which Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Bacary Sagna all sustained injuries which will keep them out of the midweek Champions League action.

The Frenchman fumed: "I read that my team were not brave. All I can say is they are brave and, for me, you need to have more courage to play football when you know that someone is tackling you from behind without any intention to play the ball.

"The only intention is to hurt you and I can show some tackles where I can prove what I say. The one who is tackling is not the brave one. For me the brave one is the player who is trying to play football.

"It happened at the weekend. Do you think (Rory) Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott? Or that (Ryan) Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch. All the players have been injured deliberately.

"I am not ready to listen to things that are completely untrue and make people who are cowards, for me, look brave.

"Do you want me to tell you the players we have lost here? Diaby, deliberate foul from behind, Rosicky, deliberate foul, Eduardo, deliberate foul. Now we lose Walcott, deliberate foul and we have lost Sagna - deliberate foul on him.

"There is only one intention when he is tackled and that is the ankle. And you want me on top of that to sit here and say 'yes, sorry we are not brave'?"