Manchester United have been sluggish this season in terms of attack, adapting a very defensive style of play but what's now surprising is that they're also the team that fouls the most in the Premier League. With a total of 302 fouls given against them, the Red Devils' frustration in front of goal seems to be taken out on opposition players.
Its also comes as no surprise that the team with the best defense in the league Tottenham are a close second with 300 fouls. Spurs have had much better resistance this term when compared to previous seasons embracing a more physical style of play under their boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Everton have been one of the most entertaining sides this season nut have given away the least free kicks with 198. Goodison Park has seen several high scoring matches most notably the 3-3 draw. against Bournemouth. They are the League’s fourth highest scorers and only one behind table toppers Leicester. What they have lacked is a strong backline having let in 34 goals this season which only reinforces their position on this list. Arsenal are second bottom well clear of Everton with 216 fouls.
Basement team Aston Villa boast the player with the most fouls with Idrissa Gueye committing 45 offenses this season. A player you wouldn’t expect to be a tough tackler, Eric Lamela is only a foul below Gueye with 44! Etienne Capoue and Morgan Schneiderlin find themselves trailing the winger with 40 and 39 respectively despite the players being associated with tag ‘defensive midfielder’. Eric Dier is the other Spurs man who is up there in the foul count with 34.
| TEAM NAME | NO OF FOULS |
|---|---|
| Manchester United | 302 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 300 |
| Crystal Palace | 296 |
| Aston Villa | 295 |
| Chelsea | 277 |
| Watford | 275 |
| Liverpool | 268 |
| Norwich | 259 |
| Leicester | 258 |
| Sunderland | 258 |
| Stoke City | 256 |
| Newcastle | 254 |
| Southampton | 253 |
| Manchester City | 252 |
| West Brom | 239 |
| Swansea City | 239 |
| Bournemouth | 234 |
| West Ham | 229 |
| Arsenal | 216 |
| Everton | 198 |
