Tottenham are treated fairly by referees and there is data to prove it
It seems that every weekend there is another team complaining about referee decisions and how they are impacting games, but for Tottenham, there really is very little to moan about, as Premier League referees are being more than fair to the Lilywhites this season.
Spurs benefitting from lenient referees
Tottenham are not really known as a particularly dirty team, and the number of red and yellow cards they’ve received from referees this season reflects that.
Ange Postecoglou has not had to deal with any suspensions as of yet, with his players staying on the right side of the referees. And now, there’s actual data to back that up.
The folk at talkSPORT BET have crunched the numbers on teams in the Premier League this season, looking at the number of fouls committed by each team, the number of bookings they have received, and working out how many fouls they are being allowed to get away with before the yellow card is brandished.
Turns out, Spurs are seventh in the table on this metric, meaning only six other teams get away with more fouls without a booking.
The North London outfit have registered 94 fouls across the eight league games this season, but have picked up just 19 bookings. That works out at 4.95 fouls per booking, and suggests referees are being rather lenient with Postecoglou’s side.
Noisy neighbours complaining for nothing
On the other side of North London, it feels like Arsenal fans can’t stop bemoaning their luck when it comes to the way referees are treating them.
The Gunners have picked up three red cards already this season. But, as per this study, Mikel Arteta’s team actually get away with more than Spurs, coming in fourth in this table with 5.39 fouls per booking.
Only Everton (6.77 per booking), Aston Villa (6.21 per booking), and West Ham (6.21 per booking) have been handled more leniently than Arsenal.
Interestingly, Manchester City are the team that gets punished the quickest, with a booking for every 2.83 fouls. Chelsea are next on the list, with a booking for every 2.93 fouls, and Manchester United pick up a yellow for every 3.42 fouls.
Big Six bias debunked
It would seem referees are much more likely, then, to punish one of the bigger teams in the league a lot sooner. Still, it’s curious that Arsenal are treated so well, given their disciplinary record this season, and the fact their fans won’t stop complaining.
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