Arsenal are fitting champions of the Scrappier Premier League
If you tuned into Match of the Day this weekend or watched five minutes of any Premier League match not involving Brighton, you would have noticed one thing: these matches are turning into a goddamn war zone. Take Everton vs Chelsea as an example.
Jordan Henderson tussled with James Tarkowski. Morgan Rogers also came to grab the former Burnley defender's shirt, and seven yellow cards were dished out.
In 20 minutes after half-time at the Gtech between Brentford and Liverpool, six cards were handed out. Two red cards were given by full-time.
In total, we got 46 cards this weekend, and four of them were red. But it's not just cards that highlight how physically intense the league has become.
Each challenge, tackle, or duel saps the energy out of moves, players and attacks. It's intriguing because there's no team (besides Brighton) thrashing teams week in, week out; the big teams who have more of the ball are being made to fight tooth and nail for every win.
We're lusting for special players to watch each week but they're busy getting lamped the whole game. So what does this mean for the league and how did it come about?
Who is benefiting and what does it mean for the current tactical landscape? The rise of the Premier League scrappers Take a look atthe top of the tablejust outside the top five, and there's an interesting story developing.
Where you may normally see a Newcastle United, Aston Villa or a Big Six club, behind Liverpool are Brentford, Leeds United, Everton, Hull City and Ipswich Town. All are within three points of a probable Champions League spot.
These are teams that look like they should be in the bottom half but have physical players that fly into tackles and make games incredibly awkward by letting the opposition have more of the ball. If you play teams that waste eons taking corners, free-kicks and throw-ins whilst happily knocking it long, the match will not be smooth, and so-called 'better' teams will barely be able to string together passing moves to build momentum and a head of steam.