Liverpool sit quietly at the top of the Premier League despite having suffered a number of injury concerns already this season and their treatment room at Anfield is all but cleared, but a different kind of problem could soon be facing Arne’s slot.
Alexis Mac Allister was suspended for the recent draw with Fulham after picking up five yellow cards in the top flight this season, while Dominic Szoboszlai will also miss tomorrow evening’s trip to West Ham for the same reason.
So the Reds manager may be sweating it out over five other players in his squad who could face a ban if they end up in the referee’s notes for games against the Irons or Manchester United.
These two matches will mean Liverpool will play 19 Premier League games for the season, with a one-match ban kicking in if they accumulate five yellow cards before then. If a player is booked 10 times in the opening 32 games and is booked 15 times, that suspension will be doubled if he misses three games (Liverpool Echo).
Which Liverpool players are at risk of being banned?
There are four players in the slot for the West Ham game, with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konate all receiving four bookings so far. The French defender will miss the game due to injury, but yellow cards to other players will see action suspended for the Red Devils’ visit to Anfield on January 5.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has received three yellow cards in the Premier League, so he could face a one-match ban if he picks up a yellow card in the next two games. The same goes for Konate if he returns and misses the game against Manchester United. In the ref’s notes.
Liverpool have been able to overcome the absence of several key players since the start of the campaign, but the last thing we need is for their squad to be decimated by frequent suspensions for the showdown with our arch-rivals in early January.
Szoboszlai will miss tomorrow’s game due to a harsh booking against Leicester on Boxing Day. And it would be hair-raisingly disappointing if Gakpo, Nunez or Gravenberch were duly ruled out after receiving an equally soft yellow card at the London Stadium. Manchester United match.
Let’s hope the Reds can get through the next two games without any of the names above making it past the referee. The amnesty will begin after the match against Ruben Amorim’s team in eight days.
If Liverpool are comfortably ahead against West Ham, don’t be surprised to see people in yellow card trouble calling down to the beach to avoid missing next Sunday’s game.
