| A
quiet week for the top villains, even though over 60 cards were shown for the
fourth week in a row. Vinny Samways and Fernando Niño moved up to third
in the table with another booking each in the league, and Figo of all people
became the first player to reach the second threshold of 10 yellow cards which
means his second one-match ban of the season. Only two sendings off in the
league this weekend, Celta's Noguerol for a dubious hands on the goal line, the
ball hitting his upper arm, and Racing's Colsa, who had scored his first goal
of the season only minutes before picking up a second yellow card. Guardiola
went looking for his fifth yellow card and duly got it, meaning he misses a
relatively easy game against Racing, and one match bans too are expected for
Emerson (Deportivo) and Arruabarrena (Villarreal). Valladolid's Jesús
could be in trouble for distinctly unchristian behaviour, the cameras picking
up a punch on Numancia's Marini which the referee missed. More fun though in
the three mid-week cup matches involving first division sides. The Celta versus
Mallorca tie ended in fisticuffs when Eto'o went for Karpin after the Russian
had made a meal of a hard tackle by Marcos. Karpin's reaction earned Marcos a
direct red card, and the game degenerated into a riot at the end. After the
match manager Luis Aragonés lost his temper with a Celta supporter who
was shouting racial insults at Eto'o and grabbed him by the throat. The return
match at Mallorca in a week's time threatens to be a classic, although classic
what remains to be seen. Two more players got their marching orders for two
bookable offences in the other games, Espanyol's Rotchen having to leave the
field ten minutes before the break in their game against Barcelona and
Zaragoza's Aragón getting himself ejected after half time against
Racing. All three will miss the second leg, with Marcos picking up a two match
ban. (05.02.01) |
