The Suspension Tightrope – Gameweek 6

Alexander Tettey became the first player to topple off the Suspension Tightrope this season, picking up his fifth yellow for a foul on Philippe Coutinho during Norwich’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday. The Norwegian enforcer – who has amassed a card every 105 minutes this term – now misses the Canaries’ Capital One Cup Third Round match against West Brom on Wednesday, before returning next Gameweek for a trip to West Ham.

Prior to today’s match, Tettey tried to explain the series of combative displays which has now seen him collect a booking in five of the first six Gameweeks:

“If you look at the yellow cards, there is a reason. I don’t go out looking to pick up yellow cards. I have a role in the team and the manager has made it clear what he wants from me in that position. If it was up to me I would be having zero yellow cards. He has been helping me a lot since he came in, in terms of what I should do and always looking at how I play and giving me some advice. He played in my position so he knows exactly what I have to do.”

Elsewhere on the Gameweek 6 Tightrope, the likes of Joe Gomez, Fernandinho, Sebastien Bassong, Erik Dier, Ciaran Clark, Matteo Darmian and Eliaquim Mangala remain on three yellows, having escaped the referee’s wrath in this round of fixtures.

There are six new additions at the three-yellow mark, though, with Jeffrey Schlupp, James Milner, Jack Colback, Andre Ayew, Sebastian Coates and Billy Jones bolstering the ranks after this weekend’s matches.

Turning our attention to the newly-suspended players, Arsenal duo Gabriel and Santi Cazorla were both dismissed during their 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday. The former received a straight red for kicking Diego Costa, meaning he’ll sit out the Gunners’ midweek League Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur and two league ties (lei, MUN), before making a potential return in Gameweek 9 for a trip to Watford. Cazorla, meanwhile, was sent off for two bookable offences and is set to miss the midweek cup derby with Spurs. This means he will be back in contention for Saturday’s road encounter at Leicester.

Kevin Mirallas was brought on in the dying embers of Everton’s 0-0 draw against Swansea but still found time to earn a straight red for a studs-up challenge on Swans player Modou Barrow. Nonetheless, Toffees boss Roberto Martinez is weighing up the possibility of launching an appeal to the FA:

“I always tell my subs to come on with real intensity so I was pleased with Kevin’s manner. I felt he was more like a striker trying to defend himself and maybe putting in a defensive challenge which looked worse than it actually was. I haven’t seen it in detail but sometimes you need to show a little more common sense and I felt that he clearly didn’t have the intention to hurt the Swansea player. It was more Kevin being fired up trying to get the tempo of the game and trying to help the team. I’m disappointed with the action but not with his manner. I haven’t seen it again but we’ll look at it and if there are grounds for an appeal we’ll look at it.”

Although he received just a yellow during the Blues’ meeting with Arsenal, Diego Costa may yet face retrospective action if referee Mike Dean confirms he failed to see any potential incidents involving the Chelsea striker and Laurent Koscielny on Saturday lunchtime. The FA are studying the whistler’s match report and are expected to announce their verdict tomorrow.

Arsene Wenger is certainly adamant that the Spain international should be punished with what would amount to a three-match ban:

“I don’t want to judge Mike Dean overall but in this game it was surprising that Costa got away with what he did. You go into half-time with a red card and he stays on the pitch.”

Moving onto the players that are currently serving out bans, Valon Behrami still has two league fixtures (CRY, bou) left on his three-match suspension, while Charlie Adam and Aleksandar Mitrovic serve the last of three-match bans in the Capital One Cup.

Adam will skip Stoke’s road tie against Fulham in midweek, meaning he will be available for the Gameweek 7 home clash against Bournemouth. Similarly, Mitrovic will be available for Newcastle’s home clash against Chelsea in Gameweek 7 as we will miss Sheffield Wednesday’s visit on Wednesday.

Potters boss Mark Hughes can also call upon Ibrahim Afellay’s services for their home match-up against Bournemouth next weekend, given that the Dutch winger sat out the second match of his two-game ban this Gameweek. Watford defender Miguel Britos is back in contention for the home clash against Palace after serving out a suspension for violent conduct.