Chelsea's Disciplinary Woes Continue Amidst Impressive Victory
While it did not impact the outcome of the match, Malo Gusto's second yellow card in the 87th minute during Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest adds to the club's ongoing disciplinary issues.
Including the dismissal of manager Enzo Maresca in the previous match against Liverpool, Chelsea has received red cards in four consecutive games across all competitions and five in their last six outings.
Goals from Josh Acheampong, Pedro Neto, and Reece James secured an impressive win for Chelsea at the City Ground on Saturday, marking it as the final match for Forest manager Ange Postecoglou.
In light of this, Chelsea must reflect on the worsening state of their disciplinary record, which has been a concern in previous seasons.
Maresca has downplayed the issue previously, stating that his dismissal for celebrating a last-minute winner against Liverpool was justified. After Saturday's match, he remarked, "Again, it's something that we can do better, but I'm not concerned. Some might wonder why I'm not worried; I prefer to analyze our performance."
He added that Gusto's red card could have been avoided, emphasizing that the players' determination is crucial, as demonstrated by Gusto's refusal to allow Forest to score, even when leading 3-0.
Maresca is aware that the statistics from this season paint a troubling picture.
From Bad to Worse
This season, Chelsea's red cards began with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's reckless challenge during a defeat at Manchester United. Trevoh Chalobah's poorly timed tackle on Diego Gomez at home against Brighton also led to significant consequences.
Joao Pedro received a second yellow card for a high boot against Benfica, Maresca was banned for celebrating Estevao Willian's last-minute winner against Liverpool, and Gusto was sent off on Saturday. Notably, the last three dismissals did not affect the final results of their respective matches.
In response to Joao Pedro's expulsion, Maresca stated, "Each incident must be analyzed individually. A red card issued for malicious intent differs from those resulting from split-second decisions, like the ones against Manchester United or Brighton. We must evaluate each case, and while we've received four red cards, it's not typical as they stem from different circumstances."
Additionally, Chelsea faces other alarming trends this season:
The only match without a booking was against Liverpool earlier this month.
Chelsea currently sits at the bottom of the Premier League Fair Play table with 29 points (one point for each yellow card and five for each red).
They have accumulated 17 yellow cards and three red cards so far.
Their five yellow cards and one red in the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United resulted in a £25,000 fine.
The broader context from previous seasons is even more concerning.
A Historical Issue for Chelsea
Historically, Chelsea has struggled with disciplinary issues under the current ownership, consistently breaking records for yellow cards and finishing at the bottom of the combined Fair Play table since the 2022-23 season. In 2022-23, Chelsea accumulated 86 points in the Fair Play table, ranking sixth in the Premier League, and in 2023-24, they had 117 points under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, including a Premier League record of 105 yellow cards. This was followed by a 106-point season under Maresca, finishing second-bottom in the table. Overall, Chelsea's total of 301 yellow cards is the highest in the Premier League over the past three years, while their 12 red cards rank them second behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have 13.
Under Maresca, Chelsea aims to control matches through possession and strategic pressing. However, it is crucial to analyze the reasons behind their bookings since the 2022-23 season:
Tactical fouls: 89 (highest in the Premier League)
Reckless offenses: 89 (second, behind Crystal Palace)
Dissent/arguments: 67 (highest)
Time-wasting: 38 (second, behind Aston Villa)
Diving: Seven (highest)
Excessive celebration: Four
A total of 113 of their 301 yellow cards have been issued in the final 15 minutes of matches. During this period, Chelsea has received 15 cards for dissent (fourth most), 10 for arguments (joint-third most), and two for simulation (joint-most). The trend of yellow cards, averaging 2.8 per game under Pochettino and 2.6 under Maresca, suggests that the issue may extend beyond tactical choices and be related to how a youthful squad, built under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, manages their emotions.
The average age of the Chelsea squad is just over 24 years, and on Saturday, Maresca fielded the youngest starting eleven in the Premier League this season. The pressing question now is whether Maresca can effectively address these issues. A straightforward approach would be to minimize bookings for dissent and unsportsmanlike conduct on the pitch. Ultimately, Chelsea may need to improve their overall performance to reduce bookings for reckless and tactical fouls, while the squad matures and gains experience together.