When Bukayo Saka requested protection for someone with steel pins on his hip, Steven Gerrard responded in an oddly 'proper football man' manner.
Bukayo Saka is one of the rarest players in England who hasn't had a bad season in some way. His form hasn't plummeted suddenly, and he hasn't suffered a spate of injuries that may or may not be related to the sheer volume of games he's had to play.
Saka hasn't been unexpectedly pushed out of his squad due to an unexpected newcomer. He's been a driving force in Arsenal's comeback to the Champions League, and while the season won't end with any medals, he and his teammates have improved.
However, such success comes at a cost, and in Saka's case, that cost has been the unwanted attention of rival defenders. The severity of the focus was such in Arsenal's recent away encounter at Aston Villa.
Why Bukayo Saka shouldn't be criticized for asking to be protected
Saka confessed to BT Sport after the game that he had spoken to referee Andrew Madley about the treatment he was receiving from the Villa players. He said:
“I wasn’t complaining to the ref but I just wanted to let him know that that’s my game, running at players with pace, and sometimes I need a bit more protection when players are purposefully trying to kick me”
Mikel Arteta replaced Saka with 20 minutes remaining in the game, which Arsenal won 1-0. Of course, the question of whether there has been a concerted effort to foul Saka this season is a difficult one to answer.
Is he being 'targeted,' as has been reported repeatedly? He isn't the most fouled player in the Premier League this season. Wilfried Zaha currently holds the title, having been fouled three times per game, more than twice as much as Saka's average of 1.5.
He wasn't even the player who had been fouled the most this season on the pitch at Villa Park during that match. Villa's John McGinn, who has been fouled an average of thrice per game, has earned this honor.
Saka's style of play, which is all speed and intelligence with a dash of the unexpected, may even be said to attract players to foul him. But that wasn't the point he was trying to make. Fouling a player with the desire to do so is almost always tolerated in the game.
Most people are familiar with the concept of a 'tactical foul,' and while they are usually met with a whistle from the referee, it is culturally accepted. Trying to 'reduce' is a completely different notion.
After all, injuries may be devastating, and Arsenal are no strangers to players who have been carried off the field on stretchers and never fully returned. And, as Luc Nilis can attest, even seemingly benign events can result in devastating injuries.
Steven Gerrard should know better about injuries
With all of this in mind, it is logical to conclude that being kicked in this manner poses a high danger of serious injury and, the loss of one's livelihood. Because if there is an issue, it plainly needs to be explored and addressed. Not for or against any particular club, but for the game as a whole.
Aston Villa manager and ostensibly 'Proper Football Man' Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, doesn't seem to agree with these facts. Gerrard argued that Saka should 'toughen up' and accept being kicked about by opposition defenders.
It is unquestionably not 'football' for players to be exposed to the unnecessary risk of being injured by players who are purposefully targeting them. While determining if 'intention' is challenging, refereeing, altering or interpreting the rules is simply one aspect of the game.
There's also a bigger discussion about what we want football to become. Do we want football to be a sport that turns a blind eye or just says, "Man up," when a player complains about opposition players attempting to injure him?
And hearing this from a Premier League manager was unexpected, and may have hinted at Gerrard's inexperience.
A more experienced manager might have chosen their words more carefully, or expressed a subtly different feeling. There's a case to be made that the Premier League is a physically demanding league, and that toughening up as a player is part of the deal.
However, Gerrard must be aware that the screws in his hips could give him problems as he ages, and that having 16 procedures is not a desired conclusion for anyone. How much longer might Gerrard's playing career have lasted if he hadn't needed so much surgery?
Furthermore, his remarks subject his own players to the same treatment that Saka alleges to have received. Will Gerrard simply tell his players to 'man up' the next time one of them – say, Phillipe Coutinho – is clattered by a defender who has no intention of playing the ball?
Of course he won't, and he shouldn't have to, because this shouldn't even be a part of the game. However, this does not change the fact that Gerrard has a voice in the game that is heard, and that this amount of amplification comes with a level of responsibility.
It should go without saying that no team or player should profit from additional referee protection. Nonetheless, all players should be safeguarded, and Gerrard's attitude seemed out of date and backward.
No one is advocating for football to become a non-contact sport or anything, but if the sport rewards skill, it should be protected. When a player makes a comment like Saka's, it should be taken seriously, and having managers on the sidelines advising them to 'toughen up' isn't exactly helping.