On Saturday night, Newcastle United’s players claimed yet another victory.
Erik ten Hag’s squad was extremely fortunate to escape with only a single goal defeat to Manchester United.
However, there was one drawback: Nick Pope appears to have joined the ever-growing list of long-term wounded.
So the last thing Eddie Howe needs is for Newcastle United players to be suspended on top of their injury list.
Here is the scenario regarding cautions after 14 Newcastle United Premier League games this season.
The 2023/24 Premier League leaderboard for Newcastle United players and yellow cards:
6 Gordon
5 Bruno
4 Longstaff, Lascelles, Trippier
3 Joelinton
1 Barnes, Botman, Targett, Wilson, Ritchie, Livramento, Burn, Almiron
So already 38 yellow cards in the opening 14 Premier League matches.
These were the final totals last season for the Newcastle United players…
The 2022/23 Premier League leaderboard for Newcastle United players and yellow cards:
12 Joelinton
6 Bruno Guimaraes
6 Fabian Schar
5 Kieran Trippier
5 Dan Burn
4 Jamaal Lascelles
4 Callum Wilson
3 Alexander Isak
3 Nick Pope
2 Sean Longstaff
2 Sven Botman
2 Miggy Almiron
1 Anthony Gordon (plus 6 for Everton last season before joining NUFC)
1 Allan Saint-Maximin
1 Ryan Fraser
1 Matt Targett
1 Joe Willock
Last season, there were 59 yellow cards in 38 Premier League games, but there have already been 38 in the first 14 games.
At this rate, we’d be looking at 103 yellow cards over 38 matches this season, more than doubling the tally from last year!
The new rules appear to have contributed to an increase in the frequency of yellow cards, not just for Newcastle. As proven by the fact that, while NUFC has received 38 yellow cards in 14 matches, the opponent has received 40, two more.
However, just because other clubs are picking up a lot more cards doesn’t help Eddie Howe if Newcastle United players are punished, especially given the number of players who have already been ruled out.
Gordon and Bruno have both received one-match bans for receiving five bookings in the first 19 Premier League games.
More bans for Newcastle United players appear to be unavoidable, it’s simply a matter of how many (suspensions) and how soon?
We have Lascelles, Trippier, and Longstaff all on four yellow cards, and they are all one yellow card away from missing a game.
As previously stated, any player receiving five bookings in their team’s first 19 Premier League matches will face a one-match ban in the same league.
So this trio (and others) need to tread carefully and get through these next five PL matches (Everton A, Tottenham A, Fulham H, Luton A, Forest H) before we complete 19 PL games.
There are disturbing signs that Joelinton is ramping up his bookings; a silly one for dissent has brought him up to three in the Premier League, and the Brazilian has been booked in all three of his past three games in all competitions. Last season, he received two suspensions totaling three games.
Looking beyond this halfway point and not picking up five bookings, Newcastle United players who end up with 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches, up to and including their team’s 32nd match, will serve a two-match suspension in the competition, as Joelinton did after his original one-game ban for five bookings in the first 19.
Indeed, it appeared at one point that the Brazilian was on his way to yet another three-game suspension, which is triggered by 15 yellow cards in a Premier League season.
Unless match officials ease off on the new restrictions, all sorts of records could be smashed in Newcastle and elsewhere.
Only Joelinton’s booking on Saturday, as well as the reality that Newcastle United dominated Manchester United and the visitors posed little threat, probably helped. Newcastle United, on the other hand, had 14 yellow cards in the previous four Premier League games.
As I mentioned above, while certain yellow cards are unavoidable when players compete for the ball, Eddie Howe will be anxious to eliminate as many as possible, particularly for dissent, as we saw with Joelinton against Manchester United.
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