Arsenal defender David Luiz believes that contact in football should be appreciated as it is part of the game.
The 33-year-old has launched a sly dig at VAR by suggesting that players do not need to be protected as much as they are currently, and that it is easy to tell whether or not a professional is aiming to cause harm to an opponent.
It comes after a number of heavy tackles marred last weekend's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, with Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk sustaining a serious injury to his anterior cruciate ligament following a questionable challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
There were calls on social media for the England goalkeeper to receive a retrospective ban after escaping punishment on the pitch, but PGMOL confirmed earlier this week that no such action will be taken.
Luiz wasn't speaking specifically in relation to the Van Dijk incident, which could keep the Netherlands international out until summer 2021, but claims injuries - including serious ones - are an unfortunate consequence of the nature of the game.
"It's a game with contact. This is football and it's always going to be like that," he said, as reported by the Daily Mail. "When a player goes to try to make someone bad, or do something bad, we can see.
"It's part of our job, and sometimes we are unlucky with some balls and you can get injured ourselves or hurt someone but you must say 'I'm sorry', be humble, and keep going. If you really mean that, everybody will see.
"But the most important thing is we have to protect football. Football is made to make people happy, to play football like that, but also to understand some contact exists and that it's part of the game."
Luiz was speaking ahead of Arsenal 's Premier League match against Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium.
He also praised manager Mikel Arteta for instilling a strong mentality within the squad since his arrival at the club, claiming the former midfielder as a brought a sense of fun but also organisation and discipline to the squad.
"When we have the ball, we try to enjoy ourselves as much as possible and when we don't have the ball we try to regain it," he added.
"The first defenders are the strikers. They have to do their job, pressing in the right way, and this makes things much easier for us.
"It's not just about defending the last line with the keepers, it's about the whole team working together with fight and commitment.
"We are working hard, we understand what Mikel wants from us, and we know how we want to play and we have the right mentality and attitude. We want to achieve."
