Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch will be without a key man in his side’s next Premier League outing away to Nottingham Forest following a fifth booking of the season, while two other important members of the first team squad have avoided suspension through accumulative yellow card cautions.
Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Brentford at Elland Road marked Leeds 19th Premier League game of the season. Being the half way point of the 2022-23 campaign, it meant that the yellow card record for players with under 5 accumulative yellow cards is now reset, wiping the slate so to speak [via LeedsLive].
Heading into the Brentford game, Leeds had three first team squad members on four yellow cards – Spanish central midfielder Marc Roca, Danish right back Rasmus Kristensen and German centre back Robin Koch. Jesse Marsch would have been acutely aware of this, hoping that the trio would make it past the 19 game mark without any further cautions.
Unfortunately, Robin Koch picked up a yellow card 83 minutes into the game, and he will now miss the important game at the City Ground in Nottingham.
Marc Roca avoided a booking and Kristensen did not make an appearance, with Luke Ayling taking the captain’s armband in the right back role. Both players will now have their yellow card records reset, and they can take to the field with a little less weight on their shoulders.
Its a shame that Koch’s suspension won’t come into effect for the FA Cup fourth round as opposed to the Premier League, with Leeds set to face either Accrington Stanley or Boreham Wood in the competition – a game fans wouldn’t mind missing their German star in defense.