Tottenham Hotspur suffered one too many suspensions last year due to yellow card indiscipline, and that is something Roberto De Zerbi will be keen to fix.
Spurs received four red cards and 101 yellow cards last season in the Premier League, which led to several suspensions.
Tottenham’s biggest offender, Cristian Romero, who got sent off twice last term, is no longer at the club, which should solve some of the club’s issues.
The early indications from the first three league matches this season are that the Lilywhites’ discipline has improved.
Tottenham players’ yellow card tally analysed
Across their three Premier League matches so far this season against Brentford, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, Spurs have only picked up four yellow cards, according to FotMob.
No player has been yellow-carded more than once, with Conor Gallagher, Destiny Udogie, Mateus Fernandes and Micky van de Ven going into the referee’s notebook once.
The Premier League’s rules state that players who pick up five yellow cards by the 19th fixture will get a one-match ban. Those who get 10 yellow cards before the 32nd fixture will receive a two-match ban.
Finally, anyone who reaches 15 yellow cards by the end of the season will be handed a three-match Premier League ban.
Micky Van de Ven’s yellow card stats from last season:
Roberto De Zerbi already faces big selection decisions in midfield
In the three league matches so far, summer signing Mateus Fernandes has started just once, and that too as the number 10, instead of as an eight or a six, which is where he thrived at West Ham last season.
De Zerbi praised Sandro Tonali, Rodrigo Bentancur and Conor Gallagher for their battling display at Forest, which suggests that he may be hesitant to drop any of the three.
Additionally, James Maddison is expected to be available for selection after missing Tottenham’s last two league matches with a minor shoulder problem.