Peter Crouch has appeared to justify Alexandre Lacazette’s screaming antics by claiming players who scream when tackled get more free kicks.
Lacazette came off the bench in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Burnley and he was tasked with helping them find a winning goal.
With the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggling to break down Sean Dyche’s men, the Gunners needed more from their substitutes.
But Lacazette could not find a goal and he instead drew fouls from the Burnley players.
On one occasion when he was tackled, he let out a big scream as if he had his legs broken, but he soon continued with the game.
That scream attracted ridicule from around the world, including from pundits and Crouch says he should not do that.
He, however, admitted that players who do attract sympathy from the referee get more free kicks.
Responding to a fan who asked of his opinion on Mail Sports, Crouch wrote: “It certainly raised eyebrows, Steven! I never did it myself — good God, I would never have lived with myself — but I do know why players do it. Those who scream get more free-kicks than those who keep their mouths shut. It might not seem fair but that’s a way of getting the referee’s attention.
“I played with a few screamers in my time. The best example I remember came from my time at Liverpool. We lost 6-3 to Arsenal in a League Cup tie in January 2007. After 11 minutes, Mark Gonzalez — a winger who played for Chile — went down with the biggest scream I had heard.
“He had gas and air on the pitch and his knee was put in a brace. He was replaced by Luis Garcia, who sadly also ended up leaving the pitch on a stretcher after damaging his cruciate ligament. Luis looked in some discomfort but he never said a word, really.
“A couple of days later, I reported to Melwood and when I went into the gym, who was there only Gonzalez, doing squats with a 80kg bar. It was either the greatest recovery since Lazarus or the effects of the tackle that forced him off were not so harsh!”
Arsenal needs a striker that scores goals, not one that screams and they might sell the Frenchman off in the summer.