As I was browsing some stats this morning I couldn’t help notice Arsenal’s yellow card count in the league this season and wondered how it stacked up against other teams. It’s safe to say I was astounded by what I found.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal is shown a yellow card by referee Martin Atkinson during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 01, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal is shown a yellow card by referee Martin Atkinson during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 01, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

When you watch your own team you feel like they are always hard done by.

While we watched Manchester United players get away with fouls Arsenal players had already been booked for, we shook our heads and mumbled. That’s how it is when you go to Old Trafford.

But this season, for Arsenal at least, it seems it’s that way no matter where they are.

Now, I know that the number of fouls isn’t really an indicator of the type of fouls but you would expect that if a side is committing far more fouls they will, at the very least, pick up cards for persistent fouling.

What I found is that not only have Arsenal picked up more yellows than any other side – they are the only  team to have over 20 – they get yellows for far fewer fouls.

While it takes only 3.2 fouls to get a yellow if you are in an Arsenal shirt it takes 10.2 if you’re in a Liverpool one and an unbelievable 14.8 if you’re in a Leicester jersey.

Here’s the full table:

fouls yellow FPY
Arsenal 68 21 3.2
Bournemouth 62 14 4.4
Chelsea 61 13 4.7
Man United 79 16 4.9
Everton 82 16 5.1
Spurs 83 16 5.2
Newcastle 58 11 5.3
Wolves 74 14 5.3
Palace 92 17 5.4
West Ham 71 13 5.5
Man City 70 12 5.8
Watford 78 13 6.0
Norwich 65 10 6.5
Southampton 80 12 6.7
Villa 83 12 6.9
Sheff Utd 84 11 7.6
Burnley 72 9 8.0
B&HA 71 7 10.1
Liverpool 61 6 10.2
Leicester 74 5 14.8

 

Not sure I really need to add anything else to that, do I?