Chelsea will look to collect three valuable points to keep the pace in the Premier League top-five race when Newcastle United visit Stamford Bridge at the weekend, but they’ll have to do so without star winger Pedro Neto, who’ll miss his second straight game through suspension.
Neto served a one-game suspension against Aston Villa after he was sent off for two yellow cards in Chelsea’s bout against Arsenal on March 1. However, the English Football Association (FA) announced on Friday that Neto has been anded an extra one-match ban for “misconduct” following the red card at Emirates Stadium.
“Neto has been given a one-match suspension and a £70,000 fine for misconduct that occurred after he was sent off in Chelsea’s Premier League match against Arsenal on Sunday 1 March,” the FA said in a statement, via The Athletic.
“It was alleged that the player acted in an improper manner by failing to leave the pitch promptly and/or using abusive words towards the match official/s following his dismissal in the 70th minute. Neto subsequently admitted the charge against him. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed these sanctions following a hearing, and the written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course.”
Neto will be unavailable for selection for a second straight Premier League clash, but the 26-year-old’s disciplinary troubles don’t end there. He could also be absent three days later when Chelsea play their biggest game of the season.
Pedro Neto at Risk of Champions League Suspension
Neto is now under investigation by UEFA after he pushed a ball boy late during Chelsea’s 5–2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. The winger faced no consequences in the moment and he showed immediate remorse, even gifting the ballboy his shirt after the final whistle and being apologetic in his postgame comments.
“I want to apologize to the ball boy. I already spoke to him” Neto told TNT Sports after the match. “We were losing and in the emotion of the game I wanted to get the ball fast and I gave him a little push. I’m not like this. It was in the heat of the moment and I want to apologize. I gave him my shirt. I’m really sorry about it.”
His remorse might not be enough to save him though, as UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings into the matter, which could see Neto get banned from participating in next Tuesday’s second leg where Chelsea will try to pull off a miracle to keep their European season alive.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior was asked about Neto’s midweek altercation ahead of the Newcastle clash, and the English boss had a honest response.
“I’ve seen the incident back now and it doesn’t look good,” Rosenior said. “I understand Pedro’s perspective. He wants to get the ball back in play as quickly as possible. He wants to win for the club. There are ways you go about it.
“What I was so impressed with was for him, and it was his idea, to apologize straight away. Like I’ve just said, whether it’s a goalkeeper, whether it’s me as a manager or a player, we make mistakes. It’s about learning from those mistakes and making sure they don’t happen again.”
Neto was one of Chelsea’s best performers at the French capital on Wednesday and a potential suspension could further sink the Blues’ hopes of pulling off the comeback in the return leg.
Potential Pedro Neto Replacements For Chelsea
Chelsea’s depth on the wings is being tested at this point of the season and Neto’s suspension has left Rosenior short of alternatives.
Jamie Gittens and Brazilian wonderkid Estêvão have been sidelined for a month now dealing with hamstring injuries. Gittens returned to training and could be available for selection, but it might be too early for him to feature in the XI.
“Jamie [Gittens] is back involved, which is great,” Rosenior said on Friday. “[Estêvão] is still a little bit further away. We want to be careful with [Estêvão] because of the nature of his hamstring injury, we don’t want it reoccurring at a crucial stage in the season. We’ll see what he’s like for Tuesday’s game against PSG.”
With the pair of wingers not at peak fitness, it’s Alejandro Garnacho who seems poised to replace Neto in the XI. The Argentine has struggled for consistency all season, but he’ll be tasked with being a difference-maker in what could be the most important stretch of the term for the Blues.
