Coyle slams Gallas assault
Reuters - Wednesday 20 January 2010, 23:40
LONDON - Arsenal defender William Gallas
should have been sent off for a tackle that left Bolton
Wanderers midfielder Mark Davies on crutches, Bolton's new
manager Owen Coyle said on Wednesday.
Gallas left Davies in a heap on the ground in the build-up
to Arsenal's 52nd minute equaliser, which levelled the scores
at 2-2 before Arsenal went on to win the match 4-2 to go top of
the Premier League.
Davies was forced to leave the field at the Emirates
Stadium and Coyle, whose two matches in charge of Bolton have
both ended in defeats to Arsenal, was left fuming.
"I think it was closer to an assault than a tackle, and for
a foul not to be given ... I felt he went over the ball," Coyle
told reporters.
"He (Gallas) certainly hasn't touched the ball, and my lad
has got suspected serious ankle damage.
"There is no doubt it was a free-kick and I would suggest
it was closer to a sending off as far as I am concerned.
"Having said that I recognise we can defend better than
what we did late on, but that was the big turning point of the
game."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was apologetic.
"If the tackle was a bad one then I apologise," Wenger told
reporters, adding his players did not kick the ball out of play
because they did not realise Davies was so badly injured.
Wenger had, however, earlier defended the tackle.
"They can complain, but it didn't look to me from outside
that it was very bad," he told Sky Sports. "I can show you some
tackles if you want.
"Put them all together from the two games -- their tackles
and our tackles and then we can compare."
NEWS: Arsenal recover to take top spot