To say Walcott was heavily marked during Wednesday's clash
against Dynamo Kiev would be an understatement. The 19-year-old
winger was upended nine times by Dynamo left-back Andriy
Nesmachniy, who received only a yellow card for his ultra-physical
approach.
Wenger said after the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw, that
Nesmachniy should have been sent off three times over, and he
maintains that the Ukrainian defender's methods were highly
unsportsmanlike.
The French tactician said in The Sun: “Unfortunately for a
player who gets a name for being dangerous, the first answer he
gets is harsh treatment.
“I thought Wednesday night, for example, the target was not the
ball.
“If a guy plays hard it is down to Theo to deal with it. But if the
guy targets Theo, he has to be punished.”
Wenger's criticisms of the referee could land him in hot water with
UEFA given the ongoing focus on respecting the officials'
authority.
But the Arsenal manager was careful with his wording when he hinted
that perhaps all referees should brush up on the basic laws of the
game rather than overcomplicate matters with obscure
interpretations.
He added: “We do not expect presents from anybody but we want
protection from referees.
“You do not want any special pressure on the referees but it is all
in the rule book.
“If, for example, you allow the first bad tackle then the second
becomes difficult for a referee to deal with.”