Top FIVE ‘Dirtiest’ Teams In The Premier League This Season (Based On Fouls Per Game)

David Tully

2 years ago

Categories: Galleries, West Ham United News

Tags: Arsenal, aston villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Southampton, Spurs, West Ham, Wolves

As we reach the final day of the season, we have decided to look at the numbers to see which teams can be classed as the “dirtiest”.

Giving away fouls is part and parcel of football, but some Premier League clubs are more prone to resorting to conceding free-kicks than others.

Usually, you would expect teams lower down the table to make more fouls, as they have less of the ball, but, surprisingly, there is one top-four club that makes our list.

Press the next page as we count down the top five “dirtiest” teams in England’s top flight.

5) Southampton (10.7 fouls per game)

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has generally favoured a high pressing philosophy during his time on the south coast, and that can lead to players overstepping the mark when applying pressure to opponents.

It is a fine balancing act, winning the ball high up the pitch can create chances to score, but giving away needless fouls can be counterproductive.

4) Crystal Palace (10.8 fouls per game)

There was a belief that Patrick Vieira would bring a more attacking brand of football to Selhurst Park, and, while the Frenchman has not been as negative as his predecessor Roy Hodgson in terms of the way he sets up his team, they have still resorted to the dark arts on occasion.

It appears that, under Vieira’s watch, the Eagles will continue to make life difficult for their opponents by sticking the boot in here and there.

3) Chelsea (10.8 fouls per game)

The Blues have the exact same figure as Palace but, as Thomas Tuchel’s side have made fewer attempted tackles this season, it seemed only fair to put them higher on the list.

Usually, teams higher up the table don’t commit as many fouls due to the fact that they have more possession but Chelsea haven’t been particularly disciplined when it comes to giving away free kicks over the course of the campaign.

2) Watford (11.7 fouls per game)

It seems as though getting stuck in to their opponents hasn’t really helped the Hornets to avoid the drop this season. Under three different managers, their aggressive approach has only been rewarded with six wins and five draws.

Following the announcement that Forest Green Rovers manager Rob Edwards will be taking over from Roy Hodgson for the start of next season, it’s expected that they will be adopting a more progressive philosophy.

1) Leeds (12.3 fouls per game)

The Yorkshire club are very much living up to their old moniker “Dirty Leeds.” It is not too surprising to see them top of the list for most fouls due to their style of play.

Under both Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, the Whites are extremely aggressive in terms of their pressing but their overexuberance does lead to plenty of free-kicks being conceded.