Gary O’Neil warns Wolves players not to pick up needless cautions
Gary O’Neil believes new guidelines from officials are resulting in more bookings as he warns his Wolves players against avoidable suspensions.
Mario Lemina and Nelson Semedo will both miss the next Premier League game with Bournemouth due to suspensions, while Lemina will then be just one yellow card away from a further one-game ban and Joao Gomes is two bookings away from a ban of his own.
Referees have cracked down on time wasting and kicking the ball away, among other indiscretions, with more yellow cards being handed out and O’Neil is working with his side on avoiding unnecessary cautions.
“It depends what they’re for and each booking is different – there’s some I’m disappointed with and we speak about, and there are some that are unavoidable in the modern game and how easy it is to get booked now for certain things,” O’Neil said.
“Adapting to new rules and guidelines this year means things Mario’s been getting away with for 10 years, have instantly been stamped out this year. He’s trying to adapt to that.
“I’m not surprised and would guess across the league that yellow card numbers are probably up. Do I want to lose Mario, Nelson and Joao to suspensions? Of course not.
“I’m trying to make sure we limit the ones we can and they know that. The boys are well aware of the new guidelines and we’re trying to get used to them as quickly as we can.
“But we do want to be competitive and I don’t want to stop Mario from fighting for every ball.”
Lemina’s booking against Manchester City was for needlessly kicking the ball away.
O’Neil added: “Those ones can be avoided.
“Some of them, a little toe poke, will have been fine for the last 10 years and now it’s an instant yellow card.
“I’m trying to make sure we’re controlling our emotions, which can be difficult but is important, because we want everyone available.”
Lemina’s first yellow against Villa already put him on five bookings and would have seen him suspended for the Bournemouth game, before he picked up his second of the game and was given his marching orders.
He will now miss the Bournemouth clash and return on four yellow cards, with just one more needed for him to miss another game.
O’Neil said: “It is disappointing. I can’t remember the Nelson one but Mario’s second one, he’s in a tough spot at that point.
“We went pressing when we shouldn’t and Mario was then caught the wrong side and has a decision to make whether he lets Villa continue a dangerous attack or whether he makes a foul.
“Being on a yellow card, maybe the better decision would be to let them attack and Mario understands that but we’re disappointed because Nelson and Mario have been very good for us at the start of the season so we’re disappointed to miss them both at Bournemouth.”
