One of the most obvious byproducts of that combative brand of football is the high volume of fouls that are committed each game.
To give you an idea of just how many we’re talking about, Brighton have a combined tally of 186 fouls for and against them in the seven league matches they have played so far this season.
Not all of those are big, crunching tackles either. For every reducer, there are innumerable little niggling fouls that are as integral to the rhythm and identity of the English game as anything else.
But when it comes to the dark arts, who are the worst offenders at each Premier League club?
Here are the most penalised players per team in the top flight this term, according to Whoscored.com:
9. Leeds United - Mateusz Klich
Total number of fouls: 12 Minutes per foul: 43.2 (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) Photo: Michael Steele
10. Leicester City - Nampalys Mendy
Total number of fouls: 8 Minutes per foul: 65.9 (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) Photo: Marc Atkins
11. Liverpool - Sadio Mane
Total number of fouls: 12 Minutes per foul: 44.2 (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Photo: Clive Brunskill
12. Manchester City - Raheem Sterling
Total number of fouls: 10 Minutes per foul: 53.2 (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) Photo: Catherine Ivill