We had to wait until the final game of the day to find the disciplinary angle on Sunday’s proceedings, but sure as night follows day, it duly arrived in the shape of a fifth booking of the season for Arsenal’s Alex Song. His early yellow means that he’ll now be absent from the matchday squad for the visit to Aston Villa in midweek.
Replacing him on the suspension tightrope is teammate Mikel Arteta. Already a recipient of a league cup yellow in the early rounds for Everton, his booking today for a foul on Yaya Touré means he has now accrued a further three in the league for new club Arsenal, and takes up the spot on the tightrope vacated by Song.
There’s been some confusion about this as a result of talk of an earlier booking at Blackburn whilst with Everton. We’ve had it confirmed by Opta that this booking was never actually awarded (despite what other sources show); as a result, Arteta has now moved on to four yellow cards – one short of a ban. We will of course clarify this with the FA and confirm tomorrow.
With the other disciplinary matters of the gameweek rounded up in yesterday’s article, there’s just time for a final line to summarise the Luis Suarez situation: with the hearing into his alleged racism underway and a decision delayed until Tuesday at the earliest, there’s still some uncertainty as to whether we’ll know more before the gameweek 17 deadline of 19:30 GMT the same day. It’s entirely possible that if a decision is delayed again until Wednesday, and if a ban is handed out that afternoon, that he would be ineligible for Liverpool’s trip to Wigan in the evening. We’ll of course keep you posted as soon as we hear anything.
GAMEWEEK 17 BANS
- Alex Song (Arsenal) – 5 Yellows (1 match)
- David Wheater (Bolton) – 1 Red for serious foul play (Last of 4 matches)
- Jay Spearing (Liverpool) – 1 Red for serious foul play (Last of 3 matches)
- Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle) – 5 Yellows (1 match)
- Dan Gosling (Newcastle) – 1 Red for serious foul play (Second of 3 matches)
- Ryan Shawcross (Stoke) – 5 Yellows (1 match)
SUSPENSION TIGHTROPE – FOUR BOOKINGS
- Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
- Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa)
- Míchel Salgado (Blackburn)
- Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton)
- Paul Robinson (Bolton)
- Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- Raul Meireles (Chelsea)
- Ramires (Chelsea)
- Moussa Dembélé (Fulham)
- Brede Hangeland (Fulham)
- Danny Murphy (Fulham)
- Steve Sidwell (Fulham)
- Kyle Naughton (Norwich)
- Glenn Whelan (Stoke)
- Scott Parker (Tottenham)
- Steven Reid (West Brom)
- Paul Scharner (West Brom)
