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One of Chelsea's biggest names will have to walk on eggshells when the Blues face Everton next weekend
Liam Rosenior could be without Moises Caicedo when Chelsea take on Manchester City next month. Unless the Blues midfielder treads carefully before the upcoming international break, he could be suspended for the clash against Pep Guardiola's side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, April 12.
Caicedo was shown his ninth yellow card of the Premier League campaign during Chelsea's disappointing defeat to Newcastle on Saturday night. The Ecuador international was unfortunate to be booked having been penalised for a tackle, which he fairly won, on Nick Woltemade.
Unfortunately for the west Londoners, they're unable to appeal cautions, leaving Caicedo at risk of a suspension. According to The FA's disciplinary rules, players who accumulate 10 cautions in English top-flight matches up to and including their club's 32nd fixture of the campaign will serve a two-match ban in the same competition.
So, if the Ecuadorian is shown a yellow card in Chelsea's clash against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium next weekend, he will be issued a two-match suspension. Subsequently, Caicedo would be unable to face Manchester City – a game which could still be rescheduled depending how they each fare in the Champions League – and Manchester United.
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As the game against Guardiola's side would be the Blues' 32nd of the Premier League campaign, Caicedo would also have to avoid picking up a caution there too - if he hadn't already.
So, if the Chelsea star escapes a booking against Everton but is shown a yellow card during the Manchester City game, he will be sidelined for matches against the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 18, and Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, April 26, which are also subject to change, depending on results in the FA Cup.
Speaking to reporters at Stamford Bridge following the 1-0 loss to Newcastle, Rosenior slammed Paul Tierney for his performance. The referee disrupted the Blues' pre-match huddle and denied Cole Palmer a penalty after he was brought down in the box.
The Chelsea boss said: "I'm disappointed. There's more focus and emphasis on the things that don't matter. I'm going to make it really clear. I want to protect my players. I'm respectful to the game.
"My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership. That is not my decision. That was a decision between the leadership group and the team.
"There is nothing that they're doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition. We had a meeting with the referee, my assistant goes in, the first thing he talks about is our huddle.
"He says about when I complained about Arsenal being in our half. It wasn't the goalkeeper coach that was in our half. People were at that game Arsenal, I said what I said. We're not being disrespectful to the opposition.
"If Paul had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we have a penalty today. I don't think anybody in this room can say that Woltemade doesn't kick Cole Palmer down in the box.
"So, let's focus on the things that are important. My team showing unity is not as important as getting the decisions right on the pitch.
Rosenior continued: "I'll be honest, I didn't speak to Paul today or his officials. I thought it wasn't the right thing to do today. But I'll be speaking to PGMOL. I'll be speaking to the refs and just trying to get an understanding of why that happened today."
The 41-year-old later added: "We were told in the rule book it's about timing. You can be where you want on timing. I just want to find a solution to this because we're actually talking about something that's nowhere near as important as what's happening on the pitch."
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