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Leeds United have to turn our attention to a home meeting with Spurs this weekend, and there is extra caution around Ethan Ampadu.
Leeds suffered a second loss of the Premier League season away at Bournemouth on Saturday, and it was a performance best forgotten.
Nothing really that positive came from the result. And it leaves Daniel Farke with plenty to mull over before Spurs this weekend.
Ethan Ampadu walking Leeds United suspension tightrope after fourth booking
A frustrating development on the horizon for Leeds is the possibility of having Ethan Ampadu suspended for one league match.
The skipper, clearly frustrated during the second half amidst another woeful refereeing display, was cautioned for a foul. That booking leaves him now on four for the season after nine games.
One more booking takes Ampadu to five and therefore an automatic one-match suspension.
Ampadu’s problem is that he’s got a long time to walk this tightrope without a booking to avoid a ban. The five-booking threshold is wiped from the end of matchweek 19 (New Year’s Day).
If Ampadu is cautioned in any game up until Everton at home on January 1st, he’ll be forced to serve a suspension.
Leeds United can’t afford to lose Ethan Ampadu for crucial home fixtures
The five games we’ve endured without victory is somewhat alarming, and Farke has a lot to solve in the coming weeks as we return to Elland Road.
One thing that Farke would want to avoid is having a game where Ampadu is unavailable through suspension. Whether it’s Chelsea away, or increasingly important home games against the likes of Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Fulham.
Losing our captain for any of those games would be a huge blow to our chances of coming away victorious, or even with anything at all.
It feels inevitable that he’s going to miss a game through this suspension sooner or later. He’s got 10 more games to avoid being booked, which is an awful lot.
Our keeper James Trafford would help Farke, if he stop showcasing in goal. He have done that in every game and it was only a question when it did blow in his face.