Jose Mourinho's belief that there is a campaign against Chelsea doesn't appear to be backed up by the statistics.
In actual fact they get protected more than most: Chelsea's opponents commit the fewest fouls per card than all but one other Premier League side. Could this be another example of a subtle mind-game played to perfection by the Portuguese manager?
On numerous occasions Mourinho has pointed out that Eden Hazard is a target of the opposition’s bruising tactics, so much so he has asked for bigger shin pads, and his manager has a point: the Belgian playmaker has now been fouled 75 times this season, accounting for over a quarter (26 per cent) of the 288 infringements suffered by Chelsea.
Yet his team are far from victimised. Seven other clubs have suffered more fouls than Chelsea this season and their opponents see the referee reach for his pocket for every 4.4 fouls on average, with only Tottenham’s opposition receiving stricter treatment (4.2).
What is also noticeable is that four of the top five clubs who see opponents carded most readily are those you would deem “big” clubs, with Arsenal and Manchester United joining the two London sides.
As a result of this Chelsea have seen more opponents sent off (seven) than any other and have played against 10 men or fewer for 207 minutes – nearly an hour more than anyone else.
To put into context how often they have benefitted from a numerical advantage consider this: Everton and Swansea City have each suffered from 310 fouls this season – the joint most – yet have played against 10 men or fewer for just 24 and seven minutes respectively. Either their rivals are taking more drastic measures to deal with Chelsea’s stars, or referees are doing more to protect them.
It won’t shock Mourinho to see that the man at the centre of the storm on Saturday, Ashley Barnes, is a repeat offender when it comes to forcing referees into action. Barnes may only have four bookings this season but he has committed a total of 45 fouls: only Leicester City’s Leonardo Ulloa and Southampton’s Victor Wanyama have committed more offences (47 and 48 respectively).
As a result of Barnes’s physical approach, he averages a misdemeanour every 37.7 minutes he’s on the pitch – only five players with a minimum of 20 fouls overstep the mark more often the he does in the Premier League, five of whom are strikers, giving weight to the idea that front men are not the most accomplished tacklers.
But while Barnes may have pushed his luck this weekend, Sean Dyche was right to defend his team’s record. Burnley are one of only two sides not to have had a player sent off this season (Stoke City are – perhaps surprisingly – the other) and have conceded just 251 fouls: six fewer than Chelsea and the joint-second fewest in the league after Everton (249). Coincidentally Everton are fouled the most often and commit the fewest offences in return – perhaps Roberto Martinez should borrow a line from Mourinho’s playbook.
Hazard may be the victim of roughhouse treatment from opponents, but while he has seen the most fouls against him this season he is not the player fouled most often. Of players fouled a minimum of 20 times that unfortunate tag goes to Southampton’s Sadio Mane, who is impeded on average every 28.3 minutes, with Newcastle United’s Remy Cabella (31.4) and Hazard (32.5) not far behind.
While the events of Saturday give Mourinho plenty of fuel for his post-match rhetoric, the numbers actually suggest he should feel far from aggrieved at his perceived lack of protection from referees unless, of course, he is just trying to distract us?
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