A rush of blood to the head in West Brom’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham earns midfield warrior Youssouf Mulumbu an automatic three-match ban. In an act more suited to a school playground, his decision to boot the ball directly at the Hammers’ Gary O’Neil earned the Congo international his marching orders and means he will now miss the upcoming games against Arsenal, Newcastle and Southampton:
The Baggies still have a trip to City to be rescheduled, though; if the Premier League allocate a date before the Saints clash, he would miss this instead. At present, Mulumbu is now out until Gameweek 36 – this is likely to have a knock-on effect on James Morrison. The Scot missed last weekend’s match due to a hamstring injury but, if fit and available, he could well drop into a deeper role alongside Claudio Yacob in the double-pivot.
Fulham’s Steve Sidwell is also set for a similar spell on the sidelines. The midfielder’s lunge on Armand Traore in Monday’s home win over QPR means he will now miss this weekend’s trip to Newcastle in addition to the Cottagers’ double Gameweek 33 against Villa and Chelsea. Martin Jol is likely to opt for the battling qualities of Chris Baird or Emmanuel Frimpong alongside veteran playmaker Giorgos Karagounis.
There are still 13 players on the tightrope threatening to topple over, though. The most notable, of course, is Luis Suarez – the Liverpool forward sits on nine yellows, just a single caution away from an automatic two-match ban. If he can avoid the referee’s wrath over the next couple of Gameweeks, the limit for triggering the ban is then extended to 15 yellows after the second Sunday in April.
Intriguingly, the Reds’ results have been a determining factor – Suarez has collected three cards in five domestic losses since the New Year, but hasn’t been booked in the 10 his side have either won or drawn in the same period. With a home game against West Ham and trip to Reading up next, the omens perhaps look good for Suarez to avoid another booking.
Elsewhere, Everton pair Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar are set to serve the second of a two-match ban. The duo were unavailable for Saturday evening’s 1-0 win over Stoke, with David Moyes rolling out a 3-5-2 in order to cope with their absence, and will also miss Sunday’s trip to Tottenham before returning in time for the Toffees double Gameweek 33.
