Wolverhampton v Arsenal. The team that can tackle and foul without fear

 

 

By Bulldog Drummond

• Wolverhampton v Arsenal: home away and discipline
• It is absolute nonsense to say Arteta does not rotate
• To win the Premier League clubs need scorers AND creators

In this article the figures for tackles, fouls and yellow cards come from WhoScored.   If you feel these figures are wrong, please do tell us the statistical source of your information so we can compare data.  

In our last look at this game we saw that Wolverhampton Wanderers are very keen on picking up yellow cards.  Indeed the current table of yellow cards shows that playing in a way that gets the yellows is a West Midlands thing.  While Arsenal and Manchester City sit on 49 yellow from all causes, Wolverhampton and Aston Villa from the black country have 82 and 84 cards respectively.  The estimate is that these clubs will end up with 29 more yellow cards each than Arsenal.

So now it is time to see just how they are picking up these cards – and it is important to note that while the figures above are for all yellow cards issued the figures below cover only yellow cards issued for fouls.  

 

Club	Tackles	Fouls	Yellows from fouls
Arsenal	15.7	10.1	1.61
Wolverhampton	19.1	12.4	1.41
Tottenham	20.5	11	1.53
Aston Villa	14.7	11	1.61

 

The level of tackles per game across the four clubs we examine here is significant.   If we take Aston Villa as the baseline of 100% tackles per game then Arsenal are tackling 6.7% more than Villa.   Tottenham however are tackling 39.4% more than Villa!

So let’s take a look at fouls.  Arsenal are committing the lowest number of fouls per game and Tottenham and Aston Villa are committing 8.9% more fouls per game.   That shows an amazing variation by referees in the way they treat clubs or by the ability of clubs to tackle legally.

But the Wolverhampton and Arsenal figures seem reasonable compared to each other when we look at tackling and fouls.   Wolverhampton tackle 21.7% more than Arsenal and foul 22.7% more than Arsenal.  That seems logical.

It is just when we look at Tottenham that the numbers go bonkers.  Tottenham tackle 30.6% more than Arsenal but only get 1.9% more fouls given against them!!   We are being asked to believe that Tottenham are 16 times more able than Arsenal to put in non-fouling tackles.  16 times more accurate in their tackling!!!!   Has anyone at PGMO actually watched Tottenham play???

Just as oddly in our table above, Arsenal and Aston Villa get more yellow cards from fouls per game than Wolverhampton and Tottenham.   14% more yellow cards from fouls than Wolverhampton Wanderers!!!

All I can say is just watch the fouls tomorrow and see what you think.

Then consider this

Arsenal and Wolverhampton can put in virtually the same number of tackles before a foul is called.  However Wolverhampton can put in 38% more tackles before they get a yellow card.  And they can put in 40% more fouls before they get a yellow card.

Here are the basic figures

 

Club	Tackles per foul	Tackles per yellow	Fouls per yellow
Arsenal	1.55	9.75	6.27
Wolverhampton	1.54	13.5	8.79
Tottenham	1.86	13.4	7.19
Aston Villa	1.34	8,70	6.83

 

This approach by referees and Wolverhampton Wanderers gives Wolverhampton one of the biggest advantages we have ever seen.   They are putting in over a third more tackles and well over a third more fouls per yellow card, than Arsenal.   That is a phenomenal advantage.

And of course it is why Mikel Arteta, on taking over at Arsenal started the process of defending with fewer and fewer tackles – a process that took Arsenal down the yellow card league.  Let us see how things have progressed for the two clubs, now we have seen the staggering amount of leeway referees consistently give to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

And to be clear this chart deals with cards from all issues, not just fouls

The yellow card chart

Season	Arsenal	Wolverhampton
2019/20	86	57
2020/21	47	52
2021/22	60	59
2022/23	52	84
2023/24*	57* (68)	82* (97)

 

(Figures in brackets show the estimated end-of-season total at the current rate.)

As we can see Arsenal’s yellow cards came tumbling down in Arteta’s first season, rose as he rebuilt the defence, came down last season and are rising this season under the totally new guidelines.  As a guide we can note that last season the highest number of yellows per club was 84 (Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lees United).  This season, at current rates the top club will be Chelsea reaching 107 – an increase due to the changes in the way PGMO interpret the rules, of 27%.