Chelsea star at risk of missing Arsenal and Chelsea games
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One Chelsea star is walking a suspension tightrope ahead of back-to-back London derbies with Arsenal and Tottenham
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Chelsea got back to winning ways in midweek as they beat relegation-threatened Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. The win came after a run of three-straight defeats in all competitions as they were beaten by Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup and Premier League before throwing a 1-0 lead away to lose 2-1 against Aston Villa.
Up next for the Blues is a trip to Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League before they host Leicester City at Stamford Bridge. Their second leg against Copenhagen comes on March 13. They then make the trip to Arsenal in the final fixture before the international break and then return in April with a home clash against Tottenham Hotspur and a trip to Brentford.
Enzo Maresca has his eye on a Champions League spot and will be hoping to stay within the top five. A fifth spot is set to be enough for Champions League football due to England’s strong ranking with UEFA coefficient. Currently, the Blues are one point behind fourth-placed Man City.
Premier League suspension rules
Ahead of their next set of Premier League games, the Blues have one player who is facing a two-game ban after picking up an astonishing five yellow cards in his last six games.
Premier League rules state that any players who collect 10 yellow cards in their club’s first 32 games will be handed a two-match suspension. Will Hughes of Crystal Palace and Fulham’s Sasa Lukic are the first two players to hit the 10-caution mark this season but a clutch of players have been booked nine times so far.
One of those is Moises Caicedo, who has really racked the bookings up in recent games. The £115m signing from Brighton has been booked against Wolves, Man City, Brighton, Villa and Southampton. In his last six games they only match he wasn’t booked in was against West Ham. If he is booked against Leicester next weekend, he will be ineligible to face both Arsenal and Spurs. If he is booked in any of his next five matches he will be handed a two-match ban.
Caicedo’s importance to Maresca
Caicedo has been ever-present for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, starting all 27 games under Enzo Maresca. He has captained the side twice, doing so in a win over Bournemouth in September and a draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge back in November. He has one goal this season, which came in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Asked earlier in the season if Caicedo could compare with the likes of Rodri at Man City and Declan Rice at Arsenal, Maresca responded: “For sure, he’s now at that level, no doubt. Unfortunately now Rodri has an injury, but Declan is playing and I think Moi can sit at that table with that kind of midfielder.”
Further praise came for the midfielder just last month. Maresca said in early February: “Since we started he has been doing fantastic in all aspects. He’s improving a lot, he’s understanding the game, he’s going in different positions and he’s open-minded. He’s a good guy, he’s humble, he works hard, so for a coach he is the perfect player.
“He’s playing a lot of minutes, but I think if you compare to other players at Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City, there are many players that play more than Moi is playing for us. Moi is playing more or less one game a week and at 23 if you cannot play one game a week that means there is something wrong.”