Troy Deeney has stood up for Arsenal following claims that they have become adept at using underhanded tactics after their dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester City last week.
This current Arsenal team is a far cry from the one coached by Arsene Wenger, which Deeney, the former Watford captain, once famously criticized for lacking ‘cojones.’..Continue Reading
Despite being reduced to 10 men in a controversial moment when Leandro Trossard was sent off, Arsenal executed a near-flawless defensive performance, almost securing an unexpected win.
While some have praised Arsenal’s discipline in holding off City, critics have focused on their alleged time-wasting, with Jamie Carragher accusing Mikel Arteta’s team of exploiting a particular loophole.
Deeney, however, argues that the current Arsenal side still doesn’t compare to the Premier League greats he faced during his career.
He told The Sun: ‘Arsenal are the masters of the ‘dark arts’? Give me a break. I’ve been around and seen teams act way worse in the Prem. None of this is new.
‘Alan Pardew’s Newcastle were great at it. Cesc Fabregas was a horrible b*d. John Obi Mikel used to foul you, help you up and step on your calf as he did it.
‘At Watford we had meetings about Chelsea’s Diego Costa who was so nasty we tried to be really nice to him on the pitch to try and get him on side.
‘And I will never forget wiping out Martin Skrtel early doors in 2015 and hearing the noise he made when I hit him. I thought: ‘I’ve got you’. We ended up beating Liverpool 3-0.
‘It is not ‘dark arts’. It is just trying to wind people up to gain an advantage. All Arsenal did against Manchester City was manage the clock, trying to give their players a break and they did it really well. It was basically a pre-season drill.
‘When you go to Old Trafford, when you go to Anfield, anywhere you go, you would try to dampen the crowd, wouldn’t you?
‘Yes they shut up shop, but don’t most teams at the Etihad? Does that make them all dirty and masters of the “dark arts”‘
