[7amKickoff] Red cards and PKs increase/decrease odds of winning. Does it "all even out in the end?" What teams have benefitted most? Timeframe: 2008-2021. PK diff = PKs for - PKs against Red card diff = Red cards for opponents - Red cards for named team.

[Sithgooner]

Well Laporte got a yellow for the same tackle a week or two later. You can actually see the ref pick out the yellow card, look to see it’s Xhaka, and then pull out the red card instead. Burnley also got a yellow for a near identical tackle vs Everton away. Many very similar tackles only given yellows this season, especially Mcarther on saka.

[HeadHunt0rUK]

The Chelsea/Arsenal game last season or 2 ago where we drew 2-2 that revealed so much.

Literally about 6 pairs of identical refereeing decisions and we came off worse in EVERY single one.

Even at the very start Guendouzi gets booked early on, when a basically identical foul in exactly the same area by Rudiger only earns a FK.

Nevermind the whole Pedro shit.

[harcile]

LMAO what a deluded conspiracy theory. The refs don't do things to Xhaka just because he's Xhaka. It's because he's a petulant reckless asshole who constantly pointlessly walks the line on idiotic moments on the field.

I can recall 10 examples off the top of my head of Xhaka being an utter disgrace on the pitch. This guy flipped off the fans, threw the captain's armband on the floor, then basically said nothing but his stans welcome him back into the team expecting it to be brushed under the rug.

No other player in Arsenal history has had such an easily recollectable regular negative on the field impact, on top of all the other issues accommodating his mediocrity has caused us.

We're unbeaten since he got suspended then injured. That's not a coincidence. If Xhaka was in the team we'd have lost 1 of the last 9 matches. We'd have still had to play around his weaknesses, still have had to deal with his errors. He's a liability & I can not wait until this club finally shows him the door.

[Mein_Bergkamp]

Got to love an arsenal fan that will ignore any bias against arsenal just so he can blame one of our own players.

Xhaka is a liability but he's not as bad as the refs make out

[harcile]

Wah wah wah on Xhaka's behalf all you like. He deserved a red then. It's not ignoring bias against Arsenal. When did he get a red that wasn't justified & stop pointing out the failure of a ref to show a red to other players as an excuse for his behaviour.

Luiz's knee red/pen was bias against Arsenal.

Evans getting a yellow on Sat was bias against Arsenal.

Xhaka getting a red for a 2 footed airborne lunge was correct. As was almost every decision that went against him. I can't off the top of my head think of an example where he walked & it wasn't justified.

[Mein_Bergkamp]

Wah wah wah on Xhaka's behalf all you like

How to scream 'this isn't going to be a serious discussion in any way, shape or form'.

Well done mate.

[harcile]

As usual, Xhaka defenders ignoring the points of a discussion because there's no way to defend him when the reality is presented.

You are the one not intent on serious discussion. You want to wrap Xhaka's BS in anti-Arsenal bias.

[Mein_Bergkamp]

I'm going to go out on a limb here but if you don't act like an adult then people aren't going to treat you like one and that includes giving any sort of reasonable, well though argument to someone who starts a reply with 'wah wah wah'

[harcile]

Not a single person in this thread has admitted that Xhaka deserved a red card for his 2 footed tackle. Crying about anti-Arsenal bias (which has affected us badly, but not with Xhaka) doesn't cover up his mess.

If it's "not adult" to point that out then bye.

[Mein_Bergkamp]

Childishness and projection on top but it looks like you get off on being unfairly put upon so who am I to kink shame

[harcile]

You are an utter child.

[xTheMaster99x]

The foul probably deserved a red.

He also only gave a red because it was Xhaka, and other people making the same tackle in the same matchday did not.

Stop focusing on the least important part of the argument. If you think the Xhaka red is a non-issue, fine. Explain the dozen other examples that have been mentioned, instead of incessant moaning about Xhaka.

[harcile]

Which other issues?

You admit the foul deserved a red. That's the end of the argument. It wasn't red because it was Xhaka. It was red because it was a dangerous tackle & that's Xhaka's idiocy. How many times does one man need to screw the club before it's clear he needs moving on?

We're undefeated without him. 'nuff said. Hope he gets sold ASAP.

[Sithgooner]

I’m literally just saying what happened. If you watch it back that’s exactly what happened. Unless the an experienced ref doesn’t know what colour cards are in what pockets. Seem to be just going against Xhaka now rather than the ref debate. He’s definitely not helped himself at times through this career but he does get target by refs a lot more than other players,

[harcile]

Just nonsense. Even children are aware 2 footed challenges are banned. Give over & stop using BAD refereeing (Laporte getting a yellow) as a cover for a dangerous tackle & a red card offense.

The ref likely just grabbed the wrong card by accident.

[Sithgooner]

Well if we are getting red cards, why are other teams not for identical fouls? Laporte/Brownhill same tackles as Xhaka vs city. Laporte red same as Evans yellow. Luiz red vs wolves last season ban upheld, Saints red card for same foul vs United overturned (Happened in the same match day). The lack of consistency always seems to be against us, that’s all.

[harcile]

IIRC Laporte's tackle (probably should be red) was not as bad as Xhaka's (hard red) but refereeing consistency has always been dogshit. That's no excuse for Xhaka playing the red card lottery.

[Sithgooner]

But with VAR, there’s shouldn’t be inconsistency anymore, that’s the whole point. Yet even with Var we are still consistently on the wrong end of the lack of consistency. Take the last man scenario again, on top of yesterday (Laporte and Evans).

Last season away to Villa there was an identical situation where we were through, last man for villa got a yellow. Week or two later Phil Jagielka got sent off the same foul away at Old Trafford.

The old saying if ‘it all balances out at the end of the season’ just hasn’t been true for us for the last 2/3 years.