How Arsenal’s much more positive tactics are resulting in more fouls

 

 

• Arsenal and Liverpool: how do they compare?
• The danger that lies ahead of Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli

By Bulldog Drummond

We have for many years been comparing tackles, fouls and the number of yellow cards that come from fouls per game, both for Arsenal and other top teams.

This is a particularly pertinent analysis now because of the constant assault on Arsenal by the media claiming that three red cards so far this season prove somehow that Arsenal are a dirty team out of control.  Indeed the Football 365 headline “Are Arsenal a team of monsters?” sums up much of the media attitutde.

And yet the tiniest amount of inspection of the figures – something which takes just a couple of minutes at most –  shows that this is not the case.   And that raises the question: why is the media so insistant that Arsenal are a fouling team, out of control? 

And it also raises a second question, why can’t the media be arsed to spend three minutes gathering the figures (or if they are staffed by innumerates, why can’t they just nick ours?)

For the basic figures which can be picked up from many websites (we use WhoScored but others are available I’m sure) show that although Arsenal are tackling a lot and as a result committing more fouls than their rivals, those fouls are less liklye than the fouls of Liverpool or Chelsea (to take but two examples) to result in yellow cards.

Indeed overall Arsenal have got 18 yellow cards this season putting them 13th in the yellow card table this season, on exactly the same number of cards as both Liverpool and Manchester City.  Such underlying figures show that headlines such as “Arsenal are their own worst enemy” are just part of a constant, organised assault on Arsenal’s integrity by the media.

The first table below shows exactly what is going on by comparing Arsenal with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.

Arsenal put in more tackles per game than the other teams and are deemed to commit more fouls than the other team, but when it comes to yellow cards, Arsenal get fewer yellow cards from fouls than either Liverpool or Chelsea   Indeed Chelsea are close to getting twice as many yellow cards from fouls as Arsenal.

And to put it another way just to make it clear, when Chelsea commit a foul it is 50% more likely to be seen as worthy of a yellow card, as when Arsenal are adjudged to have committed a foul.And remember this is based on figures from PGMO officials, who are not known to be that favourable toward Arsenal.

 

	Tackles	Fouls	Yellows from fouls
Arsenal	17.6	12.1	1.5
Liverpool	16.3	11.9	1.9
ManC	13.3	6.4	1.25
Chelsea	15.8	11.0	2.25

 

The simple fact is that although referees are calling out Arsenal tackles as fouls, Arsenal are committing over eight fouls before a yellow card is given, while with Liverpool it is closer to six, and for Manchester City and Chelsea five.

What this clearly shows is that although referees are getting rather whistle-happy with blowing an Arsenal tackle as a foul, those fouls are more often considered minor offences compared with such clubs as Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

 

	Tackles /  fouls	Tackles / yellow	Fouls / yellow
Arsenal	1.45	1.47	8.07
Liverpool	1.37	1.09	6.26
ManC	2.08	1.33	5.12
Chelsea	1.44	1.44	5.00

 

So are Arsenal really any different this season from last season?  Figures are per game and can give us an insight…

 

Season	Shots	Tackles	Fouls	Yellow from fouls
Last season	8.5	16.1	10.3	1.5
This season	14.5	17.6	12.1	1.13
Change	+71%	+9%	+17%	-25%

 

As we can see, this season Arsenal is shooting more often, committing tackles more often, gettingfouls given against them more often, but getting 25% fewer yellow cards.    Does that sound like a team utterly out of control, which should be punished ever more by the League?

In simple terms, terms so simple even a journalist ought to be able to understand it, Arsenal are shooting much more often this season, showing that they are attacking much more persistently.  As a result, the opposition is counter-attacking more, resulting in more tackles from Arsenal defenders who have moved forward to support the attack.  As a result, the number of fouls has gone up – but these are minor fouls – not worthy of a yellow card.

Arsenal are in fact undergoing a major tactical change this season, which in part explains why results have been a bit erratic.   The only problem is that the journalists don’t understand this, and besides which they can’t count.   But their sub editors really do know how to make up negative headlines.