Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that Chelsea must improve their disciplinary record, but the head coach insists he will not punish players for receiving red cards. Chelsea have been reduced to 10 men four times this season, with Malo Gusto's needless second yellow card in Saturday's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest being the latest incident.
The statistics show Chelsea are bottom of the Premier League's fair play table, having collected 28 yellow cards in all competitions. Maresca, who served a touchline ban after being sent off against Liverpool earlier this month, admitted that Gusto's dismissal was avoidable. 'It's something that we can do better,' he said. 'The last one is completely avoidable, because it's 0-3, the game is finished. For sure there is something that we have to improve.'
Maresca explained that Gusto's challenge came from a desire to preserve a clean sheet, but acknowledged that the team's youth may contribute to a lack of restraint. When asked if he would punish players to curb bad habits, Maresca replied: 'I'm not that kind of manager to punish players. I don't think it's the right way to do things. I prefer to help them to understand, and then do the right things.'
He added: 'I have four kids and when they do something wrong, I don't punish them. I try to teach them to do the right things. I try to treat the players in the same way. I think the players have a system inside the changing room, so a fine is something that they manage.'
Looking ahead to Wednesday's Champions League clash against Ajax, Maresca hopes Enzo Fernández will be available after missing the Forest game with a knee injury. Liam Delap, out with a hamstring injury since August, is close to returning to training. With both João Pedro and Delap suspended or injured, Marc Guiu could lead the line for Chelsea, who have one win and one defeat from their first two Champions League matches.
