Not that kind of player? Jamie Carragher doesn’t think that’s the case at all.
That phrase got bandied about quite a bit in relation to Neil Taylor following that horror tackle on Seamus Coleman. Steve Bruce was one of the many to make the suggestion of the Welshman, but Carragher sees it differently.
In the Liverpool legend’s eyes, any player has a leg-breaker in him, as he explained in his column for the Daily Mail.
However, he wanted to make one thing clear, he’s not coming out in defence of Taylor’s actions. He’s not denying that the tackle was awful and irresponsible.
“Taylor should be devastated. Coleman faces at least six months of rehabilitation and soul-destroying days in the gym. There is also no guarantee he will come back in the same form.”
From all the reports, that’s exactly how Taylor felt about the horrific foul.
By all accounts, the lad was an emotional wreck https://t.co/yGG7BLTpUR
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 31, 2017
Although he’s not defending Taylor, he has no interest in vilifying him either. Carragher believes that would be a tad hypocritical considering he was in the exact same position in March 2011 when Liverpool played Manchester United.
“I’d been switched to right back towards the end of the first half, so the first thing United manager Sir Alex Ferguson did was move the speedy Nani to the left flank to attack me. I wanted to let him know I was ready for him, that he wasn’t going to pass. I wanted to rattle his bones. But my first challenge was horribly mistimed and I clattered into his shin.”
Carragher counted his blessings that the reckless tackle didn’t do more damage, but he acknowledged that it could have. Although he was on the victorious side that day, he couldn’t enjoy the win because of that one moment.
“I was lucky not to be sent off and luckier still that Nani was able to walk out of Anfield with ‘just’ a gash in his leg.”
“We beat United 3-1 that day but I wasn’t able to enjoy the victory. It didn’t feel right after what I had done and I was embarrassed when I saw the replays of the challenge. I tried to go into the United dressing room after the game to apologise, but they weren’t interested in hearing what I had to say.”
“I never wanted anybody to think that I deliberately hurt opponents. The vast majority of players are the same. But do not doubt that everyone who plays professionally is capable of finding themselves in Taylor’s predicament, even those who bring fantasy and excitement to the game. That is no exaggeration.”
A very interesting take from the former Liverpool defender.
