With five England players just one yellow card away from a one game suspension at Euro 2012, The Guardian reports that boss Roy Hodgson has urged those in question to put the team first ahead of their quarter final against Italy on Sunday.

Captain Steven Gerrard is one of the 5 in question, joined by the ever present James Milner, Ashley Cole, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ashley Young. England’s gritty and determined performances defensively thus far have given the whole country a wave of optimism, but they have come at a price due to the bookings of those five individuals.

With another defensively orientated display expected in Kiev on Sunday, Hodgson has insisted that those who do feature at risk of picking up a suspension put their individual motives behind them and help guide their team to a Euro 2012 semi-final regardless.

UEFA’s amnesty on yellow cards for all those players who have picked just one up will come into play after the quarter finals, so those booked in any of the semi-finals will be eligible for the final in Kiev on 1st July.

Hodgson is not expected to refrain from selecting those at risk, and those individuals won’t be expected to shy away from tackles for their own good with an English place in the semi-finals at stake.

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