Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has written in his Daily Mail column that he believes "99 percent of footballers" have made tackles like the one by Neil Taylor on Seamus Coleman last weekend.
Republic of Ireland captain Coleman suffered a double leg fracture in the challenge as Martin O'Neill's side played out a 0-0 draw with Wales.
Taylor was sent off following his late challenge on the Everton man, but Carragher said such challenges were not uncommon but did not attract much attention if the player on the receiving end was not hurt.
Carragher wrote: "It's something I always wanted to do. To this day, I am still sent pictures on social media of collisions I had in derbies with Steven Pienaar and Phil Neville.
"When the tone needs to be set and the crowd needs to be revved up, nothing is better than a big, shuddering tackle.
"We all think the same. Remember Roy Keane's comments before the Republic of Ireland faced Wales. He said he wanted to see his players 'hit' those from Wales.
"Yet it also shows why the comment: 'He's not that type of player' is nonsense.
"We are all that type of player. I'd say 99 percent of footballers have made challenges as bad as Taylor's -- or even worse -- at some point in their careers. They were just lucky no bones were broken."
Coleman faces months on the sidelines after undergoing an operation on a broken tibia and fibula.
He is watching Everton take on city rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday as the Premier League returns after the international break.
Meanwhile, FIFA has opened proceedings against Aston Villa full-back Taylor, who will definitely miss Wales' next qualifier away to Serbia in June and faces the prospect of having his automatic one-match ban extended.
Carragher wrote: "Taylor should be devastated. Coleman faces at least six months of rehabilitation and soul-destroying days in the gym.
"There is also no guarantee he will come back in the same form."
Referring to a tackle he made on then-Manchester United winger Nani six years ago, Carragher added: "I won't vilify Taylor.
"Why? I could have been in exactly the same position in March 2011 when Liverpool played Manchester United.
"I was lucky not to be sent off and luckier still that Nani was able to walk out of Anfield with 'just' a gash in his leg.
"Besides a goal in the first minute, the thing Liverpudlians and Evertonians want to see from their players in the opening exchanges is a challenge to -- in the words of my old youth coach Hughie McAuley -- 'rattle the bones.'''