As the disciplinary wagon rolls back into town, there’s no prize for guessing the headline-maker this week. Looking beyond United’s captain, though, there’s also been some notable additions to this week’s tightrope.
As you’ll probably have read many times since Saturday, this was Wayne Rooney’s first dismissal for Man United in over five years. Those stats are fooling nobody, though, as he’s long been susceptible to the red mist and even the best attempts at media spin would be struggling to quash memories of a similar swipe at Jordon Mutch only 10 months ago that went relatively unpunished. In short, it was coming – and will see United play without their captain for the next three league matches (EVE, wba, CHE), before he returns to the fold for the small matter of the first Manchester derby of the season at the Etihad.
Joining Rooney on the ban list this weekend is Swansea right-back Angel Rangel who, after picking up his first caution for throwing the ball away on the hour mark of a goalless draw at Sunderland, was given his marching orders for a fairly innocuous block on winger Will Buckley just 20 minutes later. With the sanction for two bookings just a single match, Rangel will be missing for the visit of Newcastle before returning for the trip to the Britannia.
While Jonjo Shelvey safely negotiated said Sunderland draw to remain on four yellows, he was joined by two Arsenal players after Saturday evening’s north London derby with Tottenham. First to incur the referee’s wrath and step out to the oohs of the crowd was Jack Wilshere – busy and belligerent in the early exchanges, and victim of a foul by Spurs debutant Ryan Mason a few minutes earlier, Wilshere was soon in the book for a retaliatory lunge and will be ready to start his balancing task.
The triumvirate was then completed late in the match as perhaps the least surprising card of the weekend (if you discount Alex Song’s three-minute wait earlier in the day) was delivered to Calum Chambers – this one for a foul on Aaron Lennon. Chambers has now delivered five bookings already in his fledgling Arsenal career despite only having started seven matches in all competitions – with four of those cards corresponding to his four Premier League starts, the wait for his fifth and the resulting one-match ban may not be a long one.
Finally, tidying up the naughty lists from last week, both Tyler Blackett and Mehdi Abeid have served their one-match sentences and will be available for selection as the Uniteds of Manchester and Newcastle face up to their next matches at home to Everton and away to Swansea respectively.
