The latest yellow card and possible ban for Liverpool players suggests that they may be treading carefully ahead of the Manchester City match.
Alexis Mac Allister received a card during Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, which could cause the Reds disciplinary issues going forward.
After it was determined that the Argentina international had fouled Morgan Gibbs-White, he was given a warning in the 58th minute. Even though it seemed like a soft judgement to book the midfield player, it was his fourth booking of the season in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old, who has previously received bookings against Chelsea, Wolves, and Tottenham Hotspur, is currently one yellow card away from an automatic one-match suspension.
For a club’s first 19 Premier League games, if a player receives five bookings, they will automatically be suspended for one match. Players receive a two-game suspension for 10 yellow cards by gameweek 32, and a three-match punishment if they receive 15 bookings before the season is out.
As Liverpool’s match against Forest was their tenth of the season, Mac Allister needs to play nine more games without receiving a yellow card in order to avoid serving a ban in the first half of the campaign.
The midfield player could now face a suspension for the Reds’ first game back following the international break next month, which is scheduled for November 25 against Man City.
The following weekend, Liverpool visits Luton Town before hosting Brentford on November 12. Mac Allister would miss the match against the Bees if he received a booking against the Hatters, but he would have to miss the Reds’ trip to Man City if he received his fifth caution against the latter.
Trent Alexander-Arnold received a warning in the 19th minute for a late tackle on Ola Aina, meaning Mac Allister wasn’t the only Liverpool player to receive a yellow card against Nottingham Forest.
Since that was his third yellow card of the Premier League season, he might also face a suspension for the Reds’ match against Man City should he receive any more cards against Brenford and Luton.
The only Liverpool players who have received more than one caution in the Premier League this year are Mac Allister and Alexander-Arnold. To avoid having them both suspended for his team’s trip to Man City the following month, Jurgen Klopp will now need them to walk a tightrope in terms of discipline over the next two weeks.