Danny Drinkwater charged with violent conduct by FA

I think all Leicester City fans needed dragging back down to earth after yesterday and here it is, right on queue:

The incident in question is an apparent elbow off the ball on Valon Behrami in the 67th minute of last weekend’s game at Vicarage Road, which was unseen by referee Neil Swarbrick, but picked up by the cameras.

FA rules state that, as the incident was unseen by the referee, it can be referred to a panel to determine whether punishment is necessary. The club has until 6pm (GMT) to respond to the charge, at which point the video evidence will be reviewed independently by three former referees.

If all three unanimously determine that the foul was deserving of a straight red card, Drinkwater, who has started every game this season, would receive a three match ban (vs Middlesbrough, at Sunderland, vs Manchester City).

He would of course remain eligible to play against Porto in our final group game during that run, but given the Foxes’ league struggles, and that they’ve already won the group, that might be the only game that we won't need him.

Obviously, nothing is set in stone yet, so we’ll try not to panic too much too soon, but this could be a serious problem for a club already in bad shape in the league. With Namaplys Mendy still expected to be absent long term and Matty James still regaining fitness, we could be down to only Daniel Amartey and Andy King available in midfield.

The pair have rarely shared the same field since Amartey’s arrival in January and neither has particularly shined alongside a partner as strong as Danny Drinkwater.

Good job we’re focussing on Europe, I suppose.