Crouch slams foreign stars
21 Dec 2007 - 08:53:48
Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has accused foreign stars over overreacting in the wake of his sending off against Chelsea.
The England striker was dismissed during Wednesday's 2-0 Carling Cup quarter-final defeat by Chelsea following a two-footed lunge at John Obi Mikel.
Crouch blamed his red card on frustration but believes overseas players have brought an unwanted dimension to the Premier League.
"Foreign players have brought a lot to our game, but that's something you don't want to see," he said.
"I didn't catch Mikel but he has gone down like he's been shot.
"What I'm thinking is if you go in on Frank Lampard or John Terry would they roll around like Obi Mikel did? I don't think they would have done.
"Would someone like Jamie Carragher have gone down like that? I think it's safe to say that he wouldn't.
"There are no excuses for the tackle I made but if the referee had pulled the foul up when he should have done it wouldn't have happened.
"A lot was going their way and I think frustration got the better of me."