Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe admits Joelinton’s disciplinary record is a result of his role as a “destroyer” in the middle.
The Magpies face Everton at Goodison Park this evening (kickoff 5:30pm), with Joelinton just one yellow card away from a one-match Premier League ban.
The Brazilian has been cautioned in four of United’s first six league games, the most recent coming in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City for a tackle on Erling Haaland. Under Premier League rules, any player who receives five yellow cards in the first 19 league matches is forced to serve a one-match suspension.
To avoid this, Joelinton would need to stay out of the referee’s book until the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on January 4. A suspension in the near future seems unavoidable, but Howe is somewhat accepting of the circumstance.
Howe told NewcastleWorld: “I think you have to accept it to a degree but you can’t have a destroyer, ball-winner, brilliant at second balls, duels, tackler – that force that he is in the middle of the pitch and not accept sometimes he is going to mis-time tackles and sometimes he is going to pick up yellow card. You can’t have it both ways.
“Of course we don’t want to lose him to suspension, we will try and help him a bit but as I say, you can’t have it both ways.”
Joelinton was suspended for one game for five bookings and two games for accumulating ten yellow cards during the 2022-23 season.
“Yeah I’ve had many chats with Joe on different things of course, and that’ll be one part of it,” Howe added.
“We don’t want to miss him, losing him is always very difficult especially so early in the season, it’s too early to miss a player through suspension so it’s something he has to control what’s in his control.
“Sometimes with a tackle you can be a second late and you have to sort of accept that but it’s many the other ones that we need to eradicate from him.”
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