Discipline a historical issue for Chelsea
- Published
Historically, Chelsea's disciplinary problems have been poor under the current ownership. They break records for yellow cards and they are bottom of the combined Fair Play table since 2022-23.
In 2022-23, Chelsea accumulated 86 points in the Fair Play table (the sixth most in the Premier League) and in 2023-24 they had 117 under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, including a Premier League record 105 yellow cards.
That was followed by a 106-point season under Enzo Maresca to finish second-bottom in the table.
A total of 301 yellow cards is the most in the Premier League over three years.
Meanwhile, 12 red cards place Chelsea second behind Wolves (13) over the same period.
Under Maresca, Chelsea are a team that look to control games through possession and clever pressing, but it is notable to break down what the Blues have received bookings for since 2022-23:
Tactical fouls: 89 (highest in the Premier League)
Reckless offences: 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 come in the final 15 minutes of matches.
In that time, Chelsea have had 15 cards for dissent (fourth most), 10 for arguments (joint third most) and two for simulation (joint most).
The trend of yellow cards - 2.8 per game under Pochettino and 2.6 under Maresca - highlights that it could be more than a tactical issue and may be linked to how a youthful squad built under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital handle their emotions.
The average age of the Chelsea squad is just over 24 and, on Saturday, Maresca named the youngest XI in the Premier League so far this season.
The question now is whether the Italian can resolve the issue.
His low-hanging fruit would be to ensure his players get fewer bookings for dissent and poor behaviour on the pitch.
It may take Chelsea simply becoming a better team to avoid receiving bookings for reckless offences and tactical fouls, while the squad may naturally mature over time as they build their experience together.