Building on the amazing work done by @scottjwillis, I made a simple viz to compare Michael Oliver's refereeing decisions for the top 6. And the results are quite concerning if you're an Arsenal fan.
To start with, Oliver punishes Arsenal nearly twice as harshly as any PL side 🧵
This is the first time Michael Oliver has officiated an Arsenal match since the bizarre Myles Lewis-Skelly red card against Wolves in January. I’m not one for a conspiracy theory because I think all of the English referees are useless apart from Sam Barrott.
Oliver’s record whilst in charge of Arsenal is odd. The amount of red cards per foul is way higher than other teams, the made up rules for red cards (MLS vs. Wolves, Martinelli double yellow vs. Wolves, Trossard red vs. City, Kovacic escaping red at the Emirates and the list goes on…).
I spoke to former PGMOL chief @HACKETTREF on the appointment. He said: “A very interesting set of stats and Arsenal players clearly need to be on their best behaviour.
“[Michael] Oliver is one of our top two officials and will be officiating at the upcoming World Cup.
“When faced with a challenging game like this appointment he will raise his performance and maintain his concentration.
“Sometimes in mid-table games he always appears less focussed on his performance.
When you are officiating a big derby game it is important to let the game breathe and try to avoid a quick yellow card that sets the bar low and then goes on to seeing a red in the game.
“Let’s hope that he delivers a game without controversy.”
Michael Oliver has refereed 55 Arsenal EPL matches. He has issued 8 red cards to Arsenal players across those games
That's 0.15 reds per game. The highest among top teams he's refereed often. Compared to Man City: 0 reds in 50 games.
Michael Oliver hates Arsenal. It is obvious.
Michael Oliver has not officiated an Arsenal match for nearly 10 months, since the successful appeal of the red card issued to Lewis-Skelly at Wolves.
The question, therefore, arises why the North London Derby is seen as the best game to reintroduce him?
https://t.co/t2egE7bOBH
Äh ingen ide att hålla på klaga. Alla borde ha förstått när Liverpool fejkade sina coronatester och inte fick något som helst straff att hela skiten är genomkorrupt.
The PGMOL’s very own Howard Webb clearly explaining why Saliba touching the ball while clashing heads accidentally with Joao Pedro must be a penalty…
…so why have the rules changed today for Arsenal playing away at Newcastle when Gyokeres got cleaned out?
If you think there's something up with Chelsea's sales to Saudi Arabia, it's because there is. Clearlake Capital, who owns 61.5% of the club, has had billions invested in it from the Public Investment Fund.
The fees on the players sold to PIF-linked clubs - João Félix £48m, Ângelo £19.4m, Koulibaly £20m, Mendy £16m - aren't as important as their market value. Those prices are inflated, to put it politely.
When something seems too good to be true, like Chelsea's ability to sell these players, it's because it is. It's in the PIF's best interests for Chelsea to succeed.