Kubo’s red card from Valencia match rescinded

Turns out when you clearly and obviously get the ball it shouldn’t be a yellow card. Take Kubo’s second yellow from the match with Valencia, which was a ridiculous call to begin with, has been rescinded. Kubo went in for a 50/50 ball, got there first, got the ball cleanly, then had Carlos Soler rattle into him. In the referee’s eyes, this all was somehow not only Kubo’s fault but also constituted a yellow.

Fortunately, the latest bad La Liga officiating decision in a long lineage of bad La Liga officiating decisions that go all the way back to the 1920s did not change the result of the match. Dani Parejo had already secured the three points against the team stupid enough to let him walk away.

Having Kubo available over the next few weeks will be crucial, as the injuries for Villarreal are beginning to pile up. He will likely start against Sivasspor tomorrow (which obviously would happen regardless of his La Liga card situation) and will be relied on this weekend as well with Gerard Moreno injured. Due to his high rate of being dispossessed and inconsistent defensive work, Kubo is thus far finding difficulty fitting into the Villarreal rotation, but he was brought in for moments of the season just like this one. Hopefully, Samu Chukwueze will start playing really well, thereby encouraging Unai Emery to try Kubo on the left, where his ability to cut inside would be a huge asset in possession, particularly with both Gerard and Parejo injured.

Villarreal has importan weeks ahead, and we’ll need Kubo for every bit of it.