AFC Bournemouth face a mounting disciplinary issue as several key players edge closer to suspensions, with Ryan Christie and Antoine Semenyo already sidelined after accumulating five yellow cards this season.
Christie missed the Brighton game last weekend after receiving his fifth booking against Brentford, while Semenyo is now ruled out of the upcoming clash with Wolves after being cautioned in the Seagulls’ defeat.
Adding to the concern, Lewis Cook, Justin Kluivert, and Marcos Senesi are all on four bookings, leaving them one caution away from a suspension.
Manager Andoni Iraola acknowledged the growing challenge but insisted his side must adapt to the situation. Speaking after the Brighton game, Iraola said:
“Every team has injuries, has suspensions. We will miss now Ant, that is also a big miss.
“I don’t know if everyone has finished healthy or not. We’ll see tomorrow, but we will have to adapt, I think for sure every team is adapting.”
Christie’s Creativity Missed
Iraola admitted that Christie’s absence was felt in midfield on Saturday, noting that Alex Scott, who is also unavailable, could have been a natural replacement for the Scot.
With suspensions looming, Iraola appears to be managing his squad cautiously, as evidenced by Senesi’s substitution after 65 minutes, with Dean Huijsen coming on to mitigate the risk of a fifth booking.
Reflecting on the increase in yellow cards this season, Iraola added:
“At the end, I don’t feel like past season, definitely we didn’t have a lot of yellows.
“Probably this season we are getting more. I don’t remember any suspensions past season.
“I would say maybe Marcos was close, but at the end I don’t think he got it. So now we are more in danger.
“We have some players on four and we will have to adapt.”
