What was he thinking? He should have let him go and let Cech deal with him or may be even Kos might have caught up with him. If it was late in the game you would understand why he would take the risk, but to do it so early in a game is really stupid, especially from a captain. He let his team down big time.
Another thing that annoyed me not just with him, but with team in general, they are way too nice. Per should have contested the red card decision. Yes, the ref is not going to reverse his decision, but it will put pressure on him and it may also influence his future decisions on the game. Per just walked off the field as soon as he could. If that was a Chelsea player, you can be sure their players would have surrounded the ref. Normally I don't like this kind of behaviour, but if other teams are doing it why shouldn't Arsenal. Most of our players are just too nice. Does anyone remember last season's FA Cup game at Old Trafford when Coq was on the ref's ear before he sent Di Maria off, you can see the likes of Ramsay and Szc pulling him away from the ref. The game at Bridge when Costa was on a yellow, he tackled the Ox which should have resulted on the second yellow if the Ox went to ground. We need s like Wilshere and Coq in the team.
Mertesacker
posted on 25/1/16
There are some forwards that would stay on their feet, not many though.
As you say the contact was minimal but the key word being contact.
posted on 25/1/16
Why is anyone surprised on Costa, it's what he does
posted on 25/1/16
basically if I saw Costa being smashed up by some thugs, I would bring the thugs a cup of coffee and a spade
posted on 25/1/16
comment by BO$$™ (U6401)
posted 4 minutes ago
The contact was very minimal, plenty of other CF would have not gone down there and continued with play.
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As a centre forward, one on one with the keeper, I'd be stumbling to stay on my feet and back myself to score. That's the kind of chance you hope you're going to get but rarely do. No way would I have gone down.
Even in the penalty area, if I have a chance of scoring I'm staying on my feet. I don't really understand why he would go down when he has an excellent chance to score, not a strikers logic, more a game player/cheat.
posted on 25/1/16
comment by Whyalwaysme (U9900)
posted 27 minutes ago
I am keen to find out from you guys...what's best way to stop or deal with Costa's antiques? and despite of knowing why our team consistently fall for that trap?
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How does on deal with Costa's antiques ? call in Lovejoy, he'll sort it out
posted on 25/1/16
I think it's a soft red card. I think kos would have got near him. He got a red because Costa was running fast, and he made a meal out of it really exaggerating the contact. But you can't complain to much when you've dived in like that. However Can't soley blame mert, also got to look at the build up, and why was he left exposed.
People saying he should have left him for cech, are the exact same people who would have gone mental at him if he left him and Costa had scored. Everyone would say, why didn't mert make a challenge!! This situation is always merts weekness. If he's playing, the team have to try make sure he's never exposed like that. It's hard to know what he should have done, any decision in that situation could lead to a goal. He took a risk, and it didn't work
posted on 25/1/16
As a centre forward, one on one with the keeper, I'd be stumbling to stay on my feet and back myself to score. That's the kind of chance you hope you're going to get but rarely do. No way would I have gone down.
posted on 25/1/16
I just want to ad that I watched Alexis Sanchez every week at Barça and he went down in similar and much softer situations each week. There was contact. The defender lunged, missed the ball and caught the man - it doesn't matter how minimal the contact was, there was contact. Very few players would have stayed on their feet in that situation because despite how minimal the contact was, he would have been put out of stride by it and lost the chance of arriving in front of goal fully composed. If this wasn't Costa and Chelsea, nobody would be questioning it!
posted on 25/1/16
Arro trying to play football
posted on 25/1/16
I didn't say it wasn't a red card. It obviously was. I don't know where people are getting that from. My problem was with Mertesacker walking off the field without any protestation, not the red card.
"People saying he should have left him for cech, are the exact same people who would have gone mental at him if he left him and Costa had scored. Everyone would say, why didn't mert make a challenge!!"
There is no way I would want Mertesacker to go for tackle like that when he is the last man, no way. I would have rather Costa scored and we had 11 men for the remaining 75 or so minutes.