Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa believes his side are not a 'violent team' and he is not concerned about the club's looming suspension issues.
Five players were booked in the 3-2 defeat away against Chelsea last weekend, which means seven first-team members are now on the verge of a one-match ban.
Raphinha, Liam Cooper, Junior Firpo, Diego Llorente, Tyler Roberts, Rodrigo and Jamie Shackleton are all one booking away from a suspension, while Pascal Struijk currently has three yellow cards to his name.
Asked by the press whether he would consider changing his style to avoid more needless cautions, Bielsa said: "There is no need for any added recommendation to the one we usually make – just to avoid actions that will get you booked.
"That recommendation is never conditioned to the amount of bookings a player is on, because even if they weren't close to a suspension, we don't want them to produce excessive actions.
"I don't think that we are a violent team and I don't think we are defending worse and for that reason there is more hits. We always try not to be booked, whether we're on the limit of yellows or not."
Heading into their remaining fixtures over the busy festive period, including Tuesday's Premier League trip to Manchester City, Bielsa is also having to cope with an injury crisis at Leeds, as the likes of Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford are all on the sidelines.
Oliver Thomas
