Just wait for Tony Pulis to complain about playing "hard-tackling Arsenal".

Just ahead of today’s midweek round of fixtures, I figured I’d take a look at the disciplinary table. After first misreading it and thinking that Everton were the worst offenders (as I may be biased towards thinking), I realized that there was an interesting little entry for the worst behaved team in the league: Arsenal, the protectors of all that’s beautiful and holy in the English game, have actually been the least disciplined team on the pitch this season.

Not only that, but Laurent Koscielny – who’s now been sent off twice – is tied with perennial suspendee Lee Cattermole for the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League; both have two red cards and three yellows after only 11 games. Cattermole was sent off in Sunderland’s home opener, only to be sent off again on his return from suspension (a disciplinary record that forced manager Steve Bruce to strip him of his captaincy).

Incidentally, Koscielny’s appeal for his most recent foul was denied earlier today; he’ll serve a two-match ban for denying Newcastle’s Nile Ranger an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the waning minutes of Arsenal’s 1-0 home loss to the Toons.

Avoiding the Drop

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