Diving is out, Arsenal boss admits warning his players

Wenger won’t name guilty Gunners but says video checks could cut play-acting

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he has had to warn his own players in the past to cut out the diving.
He was asked on Sunday whether any of his team had ever had to take a player aside to tell them to stop play-acting, leading to the solemn answer: “Yes.”
Although it isn’t difficult to hazard a guess about who he might have been referring too, Wenger would not name any names and, instead, said he had drilled it into his squad that diving was not the way to win.
He said: “I am totally against simulation. You cannot be a manager and encourage these things. I have spoken to players about it in the past and I am for the use of video in any way.
“The only way to cut it out is to allow people to receive red cards after the game. The rules are quite simple: what is seen by the referee is judged by the referee and what is not seen by the referee can be analysed by an FA committee.”
His comments came after Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez suggested that Arsenal may have indulged in a bit of play-acting during his side’s opening day visit to Ashburton Grove. Sanchez was dismayed at his team’s surrender in the last eight minutes, triggered by a late penalty awarded to Arsenal.
He later apologised for his outburst after studying videotape of the match.
Wenger said: “If you take the managers of both teams, one would say it’s a penalty and the other would say it’s not.”
The Arsenal chief didn’t see much in common with Sanchez. While Sanchez said that Gunners keeper Jens Lehmann was ‘always likely to do something silly’, Wenger rushed to defend the player.
By anyone’s standards Lehmann was at fault for giving Fulham a goal in the opening minute with a blunder but Wenger said: “If you look at his whole career it is not something he has done. He has had a good reputation. I was surprised he did what he did because he is an experienced keeper and it’s important to deal with your first back pass. He was certainly the happiest boy in the dressing room after the game.”
Arsenal’s next league game is away at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.