Kimmich, olise pick yellow cards in atalanta clash – avoiding champions league suspension
Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich and AS Monaco's Michael Olise both received yellow cards on the brink of a 6-1 Champions League thrashing of atalanta Bergamo, a calculated move to avoid suspensions for the crucial return leg.
Tactical time-wasting: a calculated risk?
The bookings, both late in the match, raise eyebrows. Kimmich's caution came after a lengthy delay on a free-kick, drawing criticism from the home crowd. Olise's was issued for wasting time during a corner kick in the 77th minute, a suspension he now faces for next week’s match.
Kimmich downplayed the incident, stating he was searching for a passing option and didn't intend to provoke the card. However, the timing suggests a strategic maneuver. The German international is likely aiming to avoid a suspension for the Champions League quarter-final against either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Coach Vincent Kompany dismissed any notion of a pre-planned tactic, claiming his team's performance was too good to discuss yellow cards. “I’m not talking about yellow cards, the performance was too good today,” he said, though his attempt at a nonchalant dismissal felt somewhat forced.
The implications of such tactical bookings are well-documented. Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid defender, famously employed a similar tactic in 2019, incurring a suspension that sidelined him for a quarter-final first leg.
While Bayern avoided further yellow cards, with Dayot Upamecano escaping without punishment despite being on a yellow card heading into the game, the incident underscores the increasingly sophisticated tactical battles at the highest level of Europeanfootball. The stakes are simply too high to leave anything to chance.
The potential consequences of a suspension for Kimmich, a key player for Bayern, would have been significant. His absence would have weakened the team considerably in the Champions League.
The UEFA regulations surrounding accumulated yellow cards are clear: three yellow cards in a single competition result in a one-match suspension. Kimmich’s third yellow card this season now carries a strategic weight beyond the immediate match.
Ultimately, the decisions on the pitch are not just about skill and athleticism; they are increasingly about managing the game's intricate rules to maximize a team's chances of success.