Leeds United are closing in on breaking an unwanted Premier League record this season. The Whites have picked up 93 bookings over the course of the campaign and are just two away from passing Sunderland’s total of 94 in the 2014/15 season, according to Twitter account LUFC Data.
Nine players from across the squad have picked up at least five bookings or more this term, with Junior Firpo, Diego Llorente, Pascal Struijk, Adam Forshaw, Tyler Roberts, Stuart Dallas, Daniel James, Raphinha and Rodrigo Moreno all having entered the referee's book on multiple occasions. Despite that, though, Leeds have been shown a red card just once all season, with Struijk’s controversial red card against Liverpool back in September – in which Harvey Elliott suffered a serious injury – the only occasion so far.
This statistic is perhaps another indicator of the defensive struggles of Leeds for large portions of the season, particularly under the previous management of Marcelo Bielsa. Bielsa tasked his players with going man-to-man when out of possession and so if they ever found themselves the wrong side of their opponent, tactical fouls may have been the only way to stop them.
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However, having said that, the yellow cards have hardly slowed down since Jesse Marsch’s arrival, either, with 18 bookings in his seven games in charge, including five in each of the matches with Aston Villa and Wolves. It is difficult to put a finger on why Leeds have picked up so many yellow cards, though they have also made the most tackles in the league with 694 – and the more you make, the more you are likely to mistime.
