Chelsea's alarming disciplinary record has become a major talking point this season, with the club on a trajectory to set an unwanted Premier League benchmark. The Blues have now seen red on six occasions across just 20 matches in all competitions, a rate that threatens to eclipse the competition's historical record for dismissals.
A Pattern of Poor Discipline
The issue came into sharp focus in October. Manager Enzo Maresca had publicly stated he did "not see any discipline problem" within his squad ahead of a clash with Liverpool. This declaration came despite Chelsea having received three red cards in their four previous games. The irony was compounded when Maresca himself was sent off in the 96th minute of that very match for leaving his technical area to celebrate a dramatic winner.
The dismissals have kept coming. Defender Malo Gusto saw red for a rash challenge against Nottingham Forest. Soon after, Liam Delap was given his marching orders for what Maresca labelled two "very stupid" fouls against Wolves. The Italian boss later described the accumulating tally as "embarrassing." A brief five-game respite without a red card suggested a possible turnaround, but that hope was shattered last Sunday.
Caicedo's Costly Moment of Madness
Midfielder Moises Caicedo's inexplicable moment against Arsenal brought the crisis back to the fore. His studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino was a clear red card offence, with the Colombian compounding the error by appearing to feign injury before trudging down the tunnel. This brought Chelsea's total to six reds for the campaign, with four of those coming in just 13 Premier League fixtures.
The list of offenders this season is extensive:
- Robert Sanchez vs Manchester United (September 20)
- Trevoh Chalobah vs Brighton (September 27)
- Malo Gusto vs Nottingham Forest (October 18)
- Moises Caicedo vs Arsenal (November 30)
On Course for an Unwanted Record
Chelsea's current rate of a red card every 3.3 games projects to a staggering 12 dismissals over a full Premier League season. This would comfortably smash the existing record of nine red cards, jointly held by Sunderland (2009/10) and Queens Park Rangers (2011/12). It would also come just two seasons after the club set the record for the most yellow cards in a single campaign, with 105 under Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite the constant disruptions of playing with ten men, Chelsea currently sit third in the Premier League table. They face a kind run of fixtures until the new year, starting with a trip to Leeds United on Wednesday, and will hope to maintain their title challenge with a full complement of players.
Maresca's Refereeing Frustrations
The Chelsea manager has voiced significant frustration with officiating standards amidst the flurry of red cards, suggesting his team are being judged inconsistently. After Caicedo's dismissal, Maresca pointed to a challenge by Rodrigo Bentancur on Reece James in a previous match against Tottenham that went unpunished with a red.
"I struggle to understand why they judge in different ways," Maresca said. "Moises' is a red card, yes. Bentancur's is a red card, yes, so why they don't give him a red card?" He also referenced the Chalobah incident, where the defender was left with a black eye but the referee deemed it was not an elbow. For now, Chelsea's discipline, or lack thereof, remains the most pressing issue at Stamford Bridge.
