Martin Keown explains how he once managed to get 'naive' Totti sent off
Martin Keown has opened up on the dark arts of football in a special episode of Mail Sport's podcast, It's All Kicking Off.
Keown was known as one of the best defenders of his era and spent more than a decade with Arsenal where he won three Premier League titles.
He developed a formidable partnership with Gunners legend Tony Adams and also represented England at four major tournaments.
The 57-year-old was an extremely tough customer and regularly engaged in physical battles with opponents, with none more famous than the Battle of Old Trafford in 2003 when he locked horns with Ruud van Nistelrooy.
And, speaking with Mail Sport football editor Ian Ladyman and columnist Chris Sutton, Keown explained the reason behind his tough approach to the game.
'I was a contact defender so I was going to make that first contact and it was about winning that battle,' he said.
'It's a shame we don't ever see a montage of clearances, headers and tackles but 90 per cent of players I played against were rattled by it (the dark arts).
'I had a little book and I knew which characters would just crumble. Some were really up for it, like Mark Hughes, who was brilliant because you could clout him, hit him and he would stand there.
'And he wasn't going to fall over like perhaps Ruud van Nistelrooy did, but I preferred a player who would stand up and be physical.
'In my early days I was up against the likes of Mick Harford who would just try to beat you up. I didn't pinch him, the fire was already there.
'But I enjoyed those battles and I would like to think I came out on top of most of them.'
Keown also explained how he would take the physical battle to the likes of Ian Wright, Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry in training, which he felt benefitted their
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