As the April 8 amnesty draws near, there are now just three names sitting in wait of the Damoclean sword that will seal their fate. With just one Gameweek left to negotiate for all our protagonists before the bar is raised to 15 yellows after Sunday, our trio are nearing the end of their uncomfortable journeys.
Having successfully come through losses at QPR and Wigan respectively without cautions, long term incumbents Laurent Koscielny and Ryan Shawcross will move on to their weekend match ups as the Easter schedule heats up.
Shawcross welcomes Wolves to the Britannia and need to stay on the good side of Mike Halsey, whose yellow card average is amongst the lowest in the league (2.38 cards per game but no reds in 16 previous fixtures). Koscielny entertains Manchester City at the Emirates in Sunday’s final showdown and will be keen to stay out of Martin Atkinson’s notebook; Atkinson already blinks on our radar as a flasher of reds – he has pulled out a table-topping eight in 24 games this year and also has an above average yellow count (3.33 per game).
Joining those previous two faces for company on this final week rollercoaster is the QPR captain Joey Barton. Booed by his own fans following a poor display in the win over Liverpool, Barton took to the programme at the weekend to call for some unity ahead of the difficult run. Never one to miss an opportunity, he also responded on the pitch with an improved performance and a ninth yellow card in the win over Arsenal – more representative of the Barton we’ve been accustomed to seeing this year – and earned himself a place on the high wire. Barton’s fixture is another tough one as he takes his QPR team to Old Trafford and a date with the current league leaders, but with Lee Mason at the helm of this one (2.65 yellows per game and no reds in 20 previous fixtures) Barton may be relaxed about the chances of reaching the suspension limit.
Finally it’s away from the potentials and on to the immediate bad boys, and while Djibril Cissé continues to serve his time, It’s the unlikely shape of Pepe Reina who goes to join him on the naughty step. Guilty of an attempted head-butt in the loss to Newcastle, Liverpool’s Spanish stopper gave referee Martin Atkinson little choice than to add to his reputation, even if the theatrics of recipient James Perch were a little on the dramatic side. Reina will now sit out the next three games for the Anfield club, with Gameweek 32 and 33 followed by the FA Cup Semi-final against Everton. Brazilian Doni will presumably step in to relive José Enrique for that spell.
GAMEWEEK 32 BANS
- Pepe Reina (LIV) – 1 Red for violent conduct (first of 3 matches)
- Djibril Cissé (QPR) – 1 Red for serious foul play (second of 4 matches)
