With Gareth Barry escaping from Saturday’s visit of Hull with only a yellow card following his x-rated challenges on Danny Graham and Sone Aluko, it’s left to Newcastle centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to take the headlines as we review this week’s disciplinary matters.
Recruited from Montpellier last January as one of the best young centre backs in France, Yanga-Mbiwa has made an indifferent start to life in the Premier League competing with Mike Williamson and Steven Taylor for the right to partner club captain Fabricio Coloccini at the heart of the Magpies defence.
Hauled off at half-time in the Gameweek 6 defeat at Everton, Yanga-Mbiwa was afforded a first-team reprieve at home to Liverpool on Saturday as a result of Fabricio Coloccini’s groin injury. In the lead up to the match, Alan Pardew backed the Frenchman to step up in his captain’s absence but his impact wasn’t quite what the Magpies boss had in mind – dismissed on 39 minutes, with his side leading 1-0 against Brendan Rodgers’ troops.
Out of position and with Luis Suárez lurking on his shoulder, Yanga-Mbiwa was slow to react to a through ball from Daniel Sturridge and in challenging the livewire Uruguayan pulled him to the ground. A clear penalty and the red card for the ‘denial of a goalscoring opportunity’ (DOGSO) means Yanga-Mbiwa will now miss the crucial Tyne-Wear derby next week as he serves a one-match ban. Newcastle will be down to the bare bones at centre back with Williamson and goalscoring debutant Paul Dummett the only available pair unless Coloccini and Steven Taylor recover from their injuries in time to face the basement dwelling Black Cats.
Elsewhere on the Suspension Tightrope it was a quiet day. The sole balancing act – Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini – was robbed of his chance to rack up some minutes on the high wire after a clash of heads with robust Norwegian Alexander Tettey led to him being withdrawn with concussion after 37 minutes. To be fair, he may not have lasted long in his funambulistic foray, considering his collection of four cautions in his previous five games, but Flamini’s absence through injury instead of suspension will shake up a previously settled Arsenal midfield ahead of the midweek visit of Borussia Dortmund, and weekend trip to Crystal Palace.
In Sunday’s game at Villa Park, Flamini was joined by midfielders Ashley Westwood and Fabian Delph, as the hard-pressing approach rolled out by Paul Lambert on a rain-sodden pitch saw both pick up their fourth bookings of the season. Westwood for a nasty challenge on Lewis Holtby early in the game, and Delph for a lunging slide through Andros Townsend in injury time. The Villa duo will now attempt to negotiate next week’s visit of Everton and Lambert will hope to avoid losing such an influential pairing at the centre of his Villa team.
There were also a handful more names added to the ever-growing Tightrope widget at the bottom of the side-bar –that particular pocket of miscreants now bursts at the seams, with 22 players sitting two yellow cards away from a single-match ban. With up to 11 more league games, and a handful of those still with Capital One Cup interests, keeping out of trouble until 2014 will be a tricky task. Ross Barkley, (36.9% ownership) Branislav Ivanovic (29.7%) and Michael Dawson (12.7%)are the headline protagonists, but with Jack Wilshere, Fernandinho, Chico Flores and Ravel Morrison all delivering attacking points this week, it’s an increasingly star-studded list.
