Eric Imhof returns to look at why Jonjo needs to keep his head, lest he become the victim of criticism a lá Chico Flores
Jonjo Shelvey leaves the field following his red card at Goodison Park
I remember a time when a red card was a news-worthy occurrence: a moment as pivotal as it was rare. But this season, the question before each match is which Swan will see a sending-off, since at this point an ejection is something of a foregone conclusion. It’s not just that the refereeing is inconsistent—or that the apparent bias towards the smaller Welsh side is becoming trite (more on this later)—but that at times some players have demonstrated a frivolous lack of concentration. Enter Jonjo Shelvey.
Now, I personally don’t think either one of the yellows against Jonjo earlier today were technically warranted, meaning the referee could have made the call not to show cards at either offense and he would still have been fair in his decision-making. I saw at least two instances in other games (one of them in La Liga) of players kicking the ball after a foul, and no card was necessary; another player simply kicked the ball back to the spot and play resumed. And yet, why put the referee in such a position in the first place? If you’re Shelvey, you know full-well that calls are not going your way this season, so what are you thinking by taking the risk?
I wasn’t alone, judging by twitter reactions during the game, in being reminded of a certain Chico Flores - who I was glad to see rid of (and I’m also not alone there), precisely because of his similar indulgence in silly and unnecessary theatrics. Like Chico, Shelvey can be great in flashes—and he certainly buys in to the club ethos in terms of hustle—but also like Chico, he can put his teammates in untenable situations. Yes, a defiant point away from the Liberty, especially against a strong team like Everton, is nothing to sneeze at. But wouldn’t it have been better not to have to dig in with ten men, when Swansea were showing signs of growing into the game in the second half and maybe, just maybe, might’ve snuck out of Liverpool with three pleasantly unexpected points?
The Arsenal game next weekend, once relegated to just one in a string of tough tests in a grueling November, will now take on new importance: without Shelvey, and without really any expectation of a win, Monk just might get an answer to the question of whether the Swans are better with a different lineup in midfield. Does anyone out there honestly think that Shelvey has done enough to win a starting spot, when Fulton is coming into his own, and Monk has Routledge, Ki, Siggy, Dyer, and Montero all eager to impress? And I didn’t even mention Leon, who's due back from injury in a week or two.
And still other options abound. ESPN’s Swans blogger Max Hicks keeps lobbying for Bony up front in the midfield, with Gomis up top as striker - which features both of their strengths: the former playing with his back to goal, the latter facing it - and I for one don’t see any good reason not to try such a thing at home against the Gooners. What if it worked?
One caveat: going back to the calls against the Swans this season, I will put an asterisk next to the “Is Shelvey the new Chico?” question because, as a defensive-minded player myself, I honestly don’t see anything wrong with what Jonjo did for the second yellow. He saw a player running, and made a run in front of his path, and used his body to shield that player from the ball. He didn’t grab or tackle him (in fact, replays show McCarthy running into Shelvey’s back, grabbing him, flailing, and then immediately appealing for a foul), and he didn’t do anything extraneously aggressive—which is what I thought yellow cards were to be shown for.
If he had done this on the touchline with the ball rolling out, wouldn’t everyone call that good (if not text-book) defending? Now, I would not complain at all with calling what Shelvey did a foul, even though it looked perfectly legal to me, because some refs call that and some don’t, and it’s a close call, especially in real time - but why is every foul automatically a yellow card these days?
Monk said in a recent interview that it seems like any time one of his players has a yellow, the next foul is always another yellow, no matter if it’s warranted. I can see some merit in this grievance, and the near-consensus during the game was that he pulled Bony and Siggy for that very reason, especially considering the low likelihood of going forward with ten men.
Although as I question the every-foul-is-a-yellow trend, I think back to the match: flash forward a few minutes from the sending-off, and I watched McCarthy lunge at Neil Taylor with studs showing, hacking him down near the penalty box, without even the thought of a card from the ref. I know that my Swans bias blurs my vision, but what’s the deal?
With that said, Monk was right to voice concern over Jonjo’s decision making. Given the circumstances, no Swan should be giving the ref any chances whatsoever of dealing out cards for extra-curricular activities. At the moment, it's hard enough for Swansea to keep all eleven men on the field without another Chico Flores in the squad.
Thanks to Eric for this latest piece - give him a follow on Twitter @AustinJackArmy. Personally I think it's a little harsh to compare Jonjo with Chico, though I can definitely see why he's drawing this comparison. What're your thoughts?