This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
If Gaetano Berardi’s red card hadn’t been rescinded by the FA, it would have gone down as his eighth in Leeds colours. Eighth.
It’s a quite frankly woeful return and you’ll struggle to find anyone in that time with a worse disciplinary record in England. Forget the tough tacklers of Lee Cattermole and Granit Xhaka, Berardi is one of the worst of the lot.
Since walking through the doors of Elland Road there has only been one season where he hasn’t been given his marching orders.
That came in 2016/16 as remarkably he was able to keep his discipline in check. The Swiss defender has been in west Yorkshire since 2014 but rarely has he come up trumps.
Last season he was an incredibly unreliable figure and being sent off in the playoffs summed that up. When Leeds needed him most, he let them down. The fact he was even given a chance after that was fortunate.
The 31-year-old has divided opinion since. He earned positive reviews following his display from the bench against West Brom but was lamented after his red card last weekend.
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Berardi has arguably been the benefactor of Pontus Jansson’s departure. If he didn’t leave it seems remote to suggest he’d get into the team.
But that is a damning indication of their lack of senior options. The centre-back showed confidence against the Baggies but put himself in a tricky situation where he forced the referee’s hand versus Millwall.
Yes it was a controversial decision and it was very unfortunate but it should serve as a warning. For some reason he was occupying the same space as Kalvin Phillips and had he been in the right position, perhaps the whole situation could have been avoided.
Receiving another red card was a timely reminder of the chaos that seemingly ensues when he’s in the team. With Liam Cooper and Ben White together there has been a calming nature. With Berardi that certainly isn’t the case.
A disastrous display against Derby at Elland Road last May summed up how unorganised they look with him in the team and perhaps there was a lack of confidence in him at The Den too.
The defender was thrown in at the deep end somewhat after Cooper’s injury but with promising central defenders rising through the ranks, this should be his final strike.
If Berardi plays against Birmingham and doesn’t perform, it might be time for one of Pascal Struijk or Olly Casey to stake their claims with the club captain still on the sidelines.
After all, they’re two players Marcelo Bielsa has already tipped as options to stand-in.