Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed Arsenal’s players “like to cry” after the hosts reacted furiously at the non-award of a penalty and the referee Mike Dean’s decision not to dismiss Mikel John Obi for a tackle on Mikel Arteta.
Mikel had planted his boot into the inside of Arteta’s right calf nine minutes before the interval, breaking his shin-pad in the process, with no card shown at the Nigerian for the offence. Within seconds Theo Walcott had tumbled over Willian’s challenge and no penalty was awarded.
Mourinho said: ”You know, they like to cry. That’s tradition.
”But I prefer to say, and I was telling it to the fourth official, that English people – Frank Lampard, for example – would never provoke a situation like that.
“Players from other countries, especially some countries, have that in their blood. So, if there is contact or an opponent is aggressive, they don’t keep going. But this is English football.
”Foreign players are bringing lots of good things. They come here because they are talented.
“”But I prefer English blood in football. English blood in this situation is: ‘Come on, let’s go.’ Mikel’s tackle is hard and aggressive but football is for men or for women with fantastic attitude. It’s true.”
Mourinho added: “There are other sports without contact, fantastic sports which demand a lot from the players, and I respect those sports full of big champions. But [there is] no contact.
”Football is a game of contact. English football, winter, water on the pitch, sliding tackles at fantastic speed … Be proud. Play with pride. If you are hurt, OK, you are hurt. If you have pain … well, I have pain every day and I work every day.”
Mikel had planted his boot into the inside of Arteta’s right calf nine minutes before the interval, breaking his shin-pad in the process, with no card shown at the Nigerian for the offence. Within seconds Theo Walcott had tumbled over Willian’s challenge and no penalty was awarded.
Mourinho said: ”You know, they like to cry. That’s tradition.
”But I prefer to say, and I was telling it to the fourth official, that English people – Frank Lampard, for example – would never provoke a situation like that.
“Players from other countries, especially some countries, have that in their blood. So, if there is contact or an opponent is aggressive, they don’t keep going. But this is English football.
”Foreign players are bringing lots of good things. They come here because they are talented.
“”But I prefer English blood in football. English blood in this situation is: ‘Come on, let’s go.’ Mikel’s tackle is hard and aggressive but football is for men or for women with fantastic attitude. It’s true.”
Mourinho added: “There are other sports without contact, fantastic sports which demand a lot from the players, and I respect those sports full of big champions. But [there is] no contact.
”Football is a game of contact. English football, winter, water on the pitch, sliding tackles at fantastic speed … Be proud. Play with pride. If you are hurt, OK, you are hurt. If you have pain … well, I have pain every day and I work every day.”
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