Reports are out claiming that former Tottenham captain Ledley King says Arsenal defender Gabriel was “naive” for his dismissal against Chelsea.
The Blues won the game 2-0 as Gabriel saw red following an altercation with Diego Costa.
Gabriel’s red card has since been rescinded while Costa has been given a three-match ban by the FA.
“It depends what kind of person you are, what kind of player you are,” King said when asked about the best way to deal with an aggressive striker such as Costa.
“Costa is clever and he probably picked on the right player and he got what he was looking for – Gabriel was naive in that sense. As a player you have to figure out a way to get back at him at the best way possible.
“To me that is staying on the pitch and making sure you make it as hard as possible for him to score – that is the way I would have done it.
“He is a player who knows what he is doing but I would have loved to have played against him – he is different and it is not something we are used to, it is intriguing and it is up to players to work out how to deal with him and how to cope with him best.”