John McGinn’s Yellow Card Situation and Scenarios Explained

John McGinn flies all over the pitch, which almost always works out in his favor. But on 13 occasions this league campaign that high intensity, aggressive play has landed him in the referee’s book.

McGinn currently sits on 13 yellow cards, and this could prove to be a bit of an issue for Aston Villa as they push toward promotion. “Meatball” has become without argument one of the most important players for this club, and it is absolutely imperative that he is available for the remainder of the run-in AND the playoffs (I know it’s not set in stone yet, but it’s looking highly probable). To clear up any confusion that might be lingering: If John McGinn picks up 2 yellow cards over the course of the final 4 league matches, he will miss the subsequent 3 matches via suspension. So let’s run through a handful of scenarios, from best to worse, stating what could happen over these last few matches. Note that all scenarios assume playoffs are part of the discussion. If Aston Villa do not make the top 6, none of this really matters.

1. Everything works out perfectly: McGinn is able to temper his aggression, playing with high intensity but limiting his silly fouls. He plays all 4 remaining matches, picks up 0 or 1 yellow cards, and Villa make the top-6. That sounds nice, right?

2. Villa rest McGinn: In order to avoid any potential slip ups, Dean Smith and co. choose to rest McGinn whenever possible. This could mean leaving him on the bench for Bolton and Millwall, using him only IF the team needs to press for goals. He could continue that trend for subsequent matches against Leeds and Norwich (who should have promotion in the bag by that point). If his usage rate goes down, he will likely earn no more than 1 yellow, and would thus be available for selection in the play-offs. Villa still make the top-6, but could potentially finish in a lower position if the quality of the side dips due to his absences.

3. Get it out of the way: Dean Smith chooses not to rest McGinn at all, going with the “we need to make the top-6 before we can worry about this” strategy. McGinn plays his usual aggressive style, and earns a yellow against both Bolton and Millwall, thus triggering the suspension immediately. He misses the match against Leeds and Norwich, as well as the first leg of the playoff semis. (Assuming that the 6 points against Bolton and Millwall are enough).

4. The “oh-no” scenario: Aston Villa don’t get the results they need against Bolton and Millwall and are forced into playing John McGinn for the full 90′ against Leeds and Norwich. He picks up his 15th yellow in the match against Norwich, and is sidelined for the entirety of the play-offs.

He is only one man, but he is certainly important to the collective success of the team. Personally, I believe Dean Smith will take the approach of 2-3, putting the play-offs before the player. (Which he should). As mentioned, this is all a moot point if the team don’t make the top 6. Just play him until you either A) Cant because of yellow card accumulation or preferably B) Don’t have to because you have a play-off spot locked up already. In Dean Smith (and John McGinn) we trust. UTV