Aces with braces

Braces for six teams, Andrei Arshavin's record and English centre-backs at Chelsea... it's Martin Tyler.

Can you answer Martin's teaser from the Emirates Stadium?

Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is here! Every week he will be here to offer you statistical gems to make your day, impress your mates and, on occasion, to settle the odd bet. Sky Sports' voice of football and his back-up team of experts are here to answer your questions and queries on all things statistical and historical from the beautiful game. If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email skysportsclub@bskyb.com and he will do his best to help.

Tyler's Starting Stat - A Devil for Arsenal

I was at the Emirates Stadium for the 40th Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal have lost 18 of those games - more than they have lost against any other opponent in that period. In the 20 meetings on Arsenal's home ground, we are yet to see a penalty awarded and indeed, the Gunners haven't had a penalty at home all season in the Premier League. Their two awards have come at Old Trafford (when Robin van Persie failed to score) and at Villa Park (when he did convert). Arsenal have lost three Premier League games in a row for the first time since April 2007 when they were beaten by Everton, Liverpool and West Ham in successive matches. Robin van Persie scored his 19th Premier League goal, beating his best tally for a season, and his fourth against Manchester United, although the last three have all come in defeats Van Persie became the fourth Arsenal player to score home and away against Manchester United in the same season after Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Nicolas Anelka. Danny Welbeck became the third Manchester United player to score home and away against Arsenal in the same season after Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. We also witnessed a first Premier League start for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who'd made his debut in the 8-2 loss at Old Trafford. He must have had a sense of déjà vu, as almost exactly 12 months ago he was also involved in a 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester United, playing for Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

WENGER'S NUMBERS GAME
Dear Martin. With Nico Yennaris coming on against Manchester United, I was wondering how many players we have now used in the Premier League this season? I know Arsene Wenger has tended to use lots of young players in the cups, but I've never known him to use this many players in league matches before. Isaac (Arsenal fan) MARTIN SAYS: Yennaris was the 31st player Arsenal used in the Premier League this season and Chu-Young Park soon made it 32. Those 32 players (in order of their total appearances) are: Robin van Persie, Wojciech Szczesny, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Alex Song, Andrei Arshavin, Per Mertesacker, Gervinho, Mikel Arteta, Johan Djourou, Thomas Vermaelen, Tomas Rosicky, Yossi Benayoun, Marouane Chamakh, Andre Santos, Francis Coquelin, Bacary Sagna, Emmanuel Frimpong, Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs, Ignasi Miquel, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Henri Lansbury, Samir Nasri, Armand Traore, Abou Diaby, Thierry Henry, Nicklas Bendtner, Sebastien Squillaci, Nico Yennaris and Chu-Young Park. It must be pointed out that the last eight men on that list have only appeared once. Remarkably, Arsenal have already broken their club record for the most players used in a Premier League season and it's only January. Previously, their record was the 30 players they used in the 1994/95, 1999/00 and 2009/10 campaigns. Their lowest total was the 22 players they used when the Invincibles won the title in 2003/04. In their other title-winning seasons they used 26 players (1997/98) and 25 players (2001/02). Players used by Arsenal in each Premier League season:

Season	Players used
2011/2012	32
1994/1995	30
1999/2000	30
2009/2010	30
1992/1993	29
1996/1997	28
2002/2003	28
2008/2009	28
2005/2006	27
2007/2008	27
2010/2011	27
1997/1998	26
1998/1999	26
2000/2001	26
1995/1996	25
2001/2002	25
2004/2005	25
2006/2007	25
1993/1994	23
2003/2004	22

RUSSIAN ROULETTE
Hi Martin, I'm an Arsenal fan. I have noticed Arsenal lose a lot of their games when Arshavin has been involved. Can you tell me how many games Arsenal have lost in the league when Arshavin plays, including coming on as a substitute? Omar Ali (Arsenal fan) MARTIN SAYS: We have asked Opta to look back at Arshavin's Arsenal career in the Premier League, and overall the stats suggest they tend to pick up more points when he is involved. The table below shows that overall they win a similar number of games and score a similar number of goals whether he's in the team or not:

All since debut	With Arshavin playing	Without Arshavin playing
Games	97	14
Wins	53	8
Draws	23	1
Losses	21	5
Goals For	196	28
Average Goals For	2.02	2.00
Goals Against	108	21
Average Goals Against	1.11	1.50
Win %	55%	57%
Points per game	1.88	1.79

However, if we break it down by season we see a different picture. This season Arsenal have had more success in the league when he has not been involved 2011/12 (Apps: 18, Starts: 8, Goals: 1, Assists: 2)

2011/12	With Arshavin playing	Without Arshavin playing
Games	18	4
Wins	8	3
Draws	3	0
Losses	7	1
Goals For	30	9
Average Goals For	1.67	2.25
Goals Against	27	6
Average Goals Against	1.50	1.50
Win %	44%	75%
Points per game	1.50	2.25

It's hard to analyse the previous season as he only missed one Premier League game. However, we can say that Arsenal had a win percentage of 48% when he started compared to 54% when he didn't: 2010/11 (Apps: 37, Starts: 25, Goals: 6, Assists: 11)

2010/11	With Arshavin playing	Without Arshavin playing
Games	37	1
Wins	18	1
Draws	18	0
Losses	8	0
Goals For	69	3
Average Goals For	1.86	3.00
Goals Against	42	1
Average Goals Against	1.14	1.00
Win %	49%	100%
Points per game	1.76	3.00

In 2009/10, Arsenal tended to perform much better in the league games when Arshavin played 2009/10 (Apps: 30, Starts: 25, Goals: 10, Assists: 1)

2009/10	With Arshavin playing	Without Arshavin playing
Games	30	8
Wins	19	4
Draws	5	1
Losses	6	3
Goals For	68	15
Average Goals For	2.27	1.88
Goals Against	31	10
Average Goals Against	1.03	1.25
Win %	63%	50%
Points per game	2.07	1.63

And back in 2008/09 he had a tremendous impact on the team after joining in January. He only missed one Premier League game after joining - a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea - and that was the only league game they lost between his arrival and the end of the season! 2008/09 (Apps: 12, Starts: 12, Goals: 6, Assists: 5)

2008/09	With Arshavin playing	Without Arshavin playing
Games	12	1
Wins	8	0
Draws	4	0
Losses	0	1
Goals For	29	1
Average Goals For	2.42	1.00
Goals Against	8	4
Average Goals Against	0.67	4.00
Win %	67%	0%
Points per game	2.33	0.00

Arshavin has started eight games this season and Arsenal have won two, drawn two and lost four of those games, perhaps giving the impression that they tend to lose without him. Their win percentage when he starts is 25% and is 64% when he doesn't start. In the four games in which he hasn't played at all, they have won three meaning the percentage rises to 75%. Personally, I believe he was going through a purple patch when he first arrived in this country (I'll never forget those four goals at Liverpool) and it is perceived that his contribution has dipped because his form has levelled out. Arsene Wenger has always argued that his assists are high and while he had critics last season, he regularly created goals for others (11 assists - and he only started 25 games). What will disappoint Arsenal fans and the manager is the drop in the assist ratio this year. Also, it may be the change of tactics over the period has worked against him. My impression was during his purple patch he influenced the game from a more central position rather than the wide areas he's been asked to work in since Arsenal's change of attacking philosophy.

KING OF THE STREAK
I read that Ledley King had not lost in any of his last 15 Premier League appearances until the defeat to Manchester City on Sunday (how ironic that he should give away the penalty too...). What I want to know is which player now holds the record for the most games since his last defeat? Gary Peters (Fulham fan) MARTIN SAYS: You're right. Ledley King had not lost in any of his previous 11 appearances for Tottenham this season nor in any of the last four games he played last season. In fact, his last Premier League defeat was 1-0 at home to Wigan in August 2010, but that 15-game run came to an end when he fouled Mario Balotelli in the penalty area in injury time on Sunday. However, there is one current Premier League player who has appeared in even more matches since his last defeat. Darron Gibson - formerly of Manchester United and now of Everton - has not lost in any of his last 18 appearances. Both of his games for Everton have ended in 1-1 draws, while his only Premier League appearance for Man Utd this season was a 5-0 success over Wigan. He didn't lose in any of the 12 Premier League games he appeared in during 2010/11 and to find his last defeat you have to look all the way back to the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in April 2010 - and that was hardly his fault as he came on as an 86th-minute substitute. Gibson has, in fact, only lost one of the 16 Premier League games in which he has started - a 3-0 reversal to Fulham in December 2009. Thanks to Opta, here are the Premier League players with the longest current runs of appearances without playing in a defeat. This list only includes players to have played in the last two seasons: 1. Darron Gibson (18)
2. Sandro (13)
3. Abou Diaby (11)
4. Emmannuel Eboue (10)
5. Stefan Savic, Nemanja Vidic, Tom Cleverley, Denilson (9)
9. Tomasz Kuszczak Opta have also given us a list of players who have gone even longer since their last defeat, but have not played in the last two seasons. From this list you'll see that Tiago was on a 26-game unbeaten streak with Chelsea before he left in May 2005, while Jaap Stam didn't lose any of his last 25 games for Manchester United. These records will remain untarnished (apart from Gibson's) unless any of them return to the Premier League: 1. Tiago (26)
2. Jaap Stam (25)
3. Remi Garde (21)
4. Jordi Cruyff (19)
5. Alvaro Arbeloa, Darron Gibson (18)
7. Lee Dixon. Gilles Grimandi, Mateja Kezman (17)
10. David Beckham, Juan Sebastian Veron (16)

KEANE ON SCORING
Robbie Keane has scored for six different clubs, but I wonder if he is the first to score a brace for six Premier League clubs after he got one for Villa against Wolves? David W, (Aston Villa fan) MARTIN SAYS: First of all, I should point out that Robbie Keane became the seventh player to score at least one goal for six different Premier League clubs. The full list reads: Robbie Keane (Coventry, Leeds, Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham, Aston Villa) Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton, Liverpool, Tottenham, Stoke) Nick Barmby (Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Everton, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull) Marcus Bent (Crystal Palace, Ipswich, Leicester, Everton, Charlton, Wigan) Les Ferdinand (QPR, Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham. Leicester, Bolton) Craig Bellamy (Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool, West Ham, Manchester City) Andrew Cole (Newcastle, Man Utd, Blackburn, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth). However, Keane has not scored a brace for each of those clubs. He scored just two goals for West Ham - and they came in different Premier League games. In fact, only one player has scored a brace for six different Premier League clubs - and that man is Peter Crouch. The England international achieved the feat when he scored two for Stoke against Blackburn on January 2, having previously scored at least one brace for five other Premier League clubs - Tottenham, Liverpool, Southampton, Aston Villa and Portsmouth. Keane is one of five players to have scored a Premier League brace for five clubs, along with Craig Bellamy and Andrew Cole. Emile Heskey is the most likely man to join them, having scored Premier League braces for four clubs, but not yet for Aston Villa. Premier League braces for six clubs (includes hat-tricks etc): Peter Crouch (Aston Villa, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Southampton, Stoke, Tottenham) Premier League braces for five clubs: Craig Bellamy (Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham) Robbie Keane (Aston Villa, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool, Tottenham) Andrew Cole (Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle) Premier League braces for four clubs: Emile Heskey (Birmingham, Leicester, Liverpool, Wigan) Les Ferdinand (Leicester, Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham) John Hartson (Arsenal, Coventry, West Ham, Wimbledon) Stan Collymore (Aston Villa, Leicester, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest) Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal, Bolton, Chelsea, Manchester City) Darren Bent (Aston Villa, Charlton, Sunderland, Tottenham) Yakubu (Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth)

NOT CALLING FOUL
Hello Martin. It was mentioned during half-time of the game at Carrow Road when Chelsea were the visitors, that there had not been a single foul in the first half of play. This seemed highly unusual, and I was wondering how many times this has happened in the past where an entire half goes by without a foul, if it ever has. Thank you. Eric Hajdu (Leeds United fan) MARTIN SAYS: You're absolutely right. There were no free-kicks awarded for fouls in the first half of the game and the first one was conceded by Steve Morison for a trip on Ramires in the 47th minute. This is indeed highly unusual and having checked with Opta, this is the first game in their database - which goes back to the start of the 2006/07 season - that saw an entire first half go by without a foul being committed. There were no goals or cards in the game, the first time that has happened in the Premier League since the 0-0 draw between Stoke and Blackpool on April 20, 2011. It was also the first Premier League clean sheet Norwich have kept since their 1-0 win over Birmingham in May 2005. It was also the third time Chelsea have failed to score in the Premier League this season after games against QPR and Stoke.

BLUES AT THE BACK
Hi Martin. Now Chelsea have signed Gary Cahill, I started thinking when was the last time Chelsea played two English centre backs in a league game and I am stumped, can you help with this? Keep up the good work! Regards, Alan Giles, Chelsea Fan MARTIN SAYS: With the help of Opta, we think we have come up with an answer for you - and you have to go all the way back to April 1998 to find it! According to the records, the last time Chelsea fielded an all-English pairing at centre-half was on April 8, 1998 when Michael Duberry and David Lee played the full 90 minutes against Leeds United. Lee had actually played most of that season on loan at Sheffield United, but returned to make his only Premier League appearance of that season for Chelsea in a 3-1 defeat at Elland Road. In fact, if you're looking for the last time Chelsea kept a clean sheet in the league with two English centre-backs you have to look back to April 17, 1996 when the same duo - Duberry and Lee - started a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. Some Chelsea fans may ask about Michael Mancienne, who played in four Premier League games with John Terry, but in each of those four games he was used as either a right-back or in central midfield.

Tyler's teaser

Fill in your answers to Martin's teaser using the feedback form below - and keep those questions coming in!