As the AS Saint-Étienne fights for its retention in League 1, the team faces another major concern: the threat of suspension that weighs on several of its players. Currently ranked 17th, the ASSE is in great difficulty and has a three-point delay on Angers, the first non-relegable, with four days remaining to be contested. The Stéphanois were tied in with Le Havre, a barrister, which put enormous pressure on the Ligurian club. In these circumstances, the management of knowledgeable players is crucial. According to the rules, a player who has three yellow cards in ten games is automatically suspended for a match. As a result, several Stéphanois executives are under threat of automatic suspension.
Among the players involved are Benjamin Bouchouari, an essential midfielder in both the recovery and the animation of the game. Although threatened, he should be absent until the end of the season due to a back injury. Aïmen Moueffek and Maxime Bernauer are also closely monitored. The first will have to be cautious given Bouchouari’s injury, which reduces the number of players available in the midfield. Irvin Cardona must avoid any further warning or miss a crucial match in the maintenance race.
Recently, Lucas Stassin saw his red cardboard be modified into yellow cardboard thanks to the intervention of the VAR during the derby. This sanction now puts him under threat of suspension for the next match against Strasbourg. If Stassin does not receive a warning at this meeting, he will no longer be threatened.
The remaining calendar is loaded for Saint-Étienne, including a direct duel against Reims in two weeks and matches against Strasbourg, Monaco and Toulouse. Each point will be valuable, and each absence could tilt the balance of a game.
Coach Eirik Horneland must make a difficult strategic decision: should he preserve his threatened players to avoid any suspension, or align them at any cost at the risk of losing them for the following matches? This decision could determine the fate of the club at the end of the season. Discipline is therefore an issue as important as tactics in this end of high-voltage championship. If one of these players were warned during the match against Strasbourg this Saturday, he would be absent during the trip to Reims for the 33rd day.