Former Premier League star Nigel Reo-Coker has claimed that he is all for Arsenal star Leandro Trossard trying to waste time against Manchester City even if it got him sent off at the brink of half-time.
Trossard was given his marching orders after he received a second yellow card for booting the ball away following fouling Manchester City star Bernardo Silva.
Arsenal had just taken the lead and the sending-off came as a hammer blow for the Gunners on the brink of half time and they were forced to defend flor the entirety of the second half.
Manchester City found a way to score the equaliser in the final seconds of the game to rescue a point at the Etihad against the ten men of Arsenal.
Michael Oliver’s decision to send off the Belgian has come under the scanner with some accusing him of trying to grab the headlines from a big game.
However, Reo-Coker conceded that it was naive and stupid of Trossard and he knew what he was doing by booting the ball away.
The former midfielder has backed the Arsenal star’s attempt to waste time
But the ex-Premier League star insisted that despite the red cards for Trossard and Declan Rice for similar offences, Mikel Arteta would still encourage his players to do exactly the same thing.
He is all for players finding a way to make sure their teams win games and time-wasting is often a tool sides use to gain advantage.
Reo-Coker is all for what Trossard tried to do just before the break and admitted that is what is needed sometimes for teams to win games and go on to grab trophies.
“I played in teams who wasted time. It is part of the game, you are playing one of the best sides in world football, away from home in a game of the magnitude for what is at stake, you’re going to try all the tricks in the book”, Reo-Coker said on the BBC’s Football Daily Podcast.
“Leandro Trossard knew what he was doing when he booted the ball away as well – he was trying to waste time to let the half finish.
“It was naive and stupid. That is two stupid red cards that they have had, with Trossard and Declan Rice, but I am all for it.
“At the end of the day we can all talk as fans and pundits, but if we were in Mikel Arteta’s position then we would be asking our players to do the same thing.
“That is what top players do. Do what you have to do to win football matches.”
