Marc Cucurella’s silly red card after full time yesterday sparked a return to a discussion from last year about the ill-discipline in this young Chelsea squad.
As he did earlier in the season, and as Mauricio Pochettino did many times a year ago, Enzo Maresca defended his group, claiming there are no issues. But his actual words were basically an admission that this is something his team can improve in:
“No, no. I’ve said many times we can do many things better; the way we attack and the way we defend but also the way we need to manage some moments. This is probably one of the moments we can improve but overall, with the spirit of the team, we know that sometimes you can receive some yellow cards.
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A group of Chelsea players celebrate by the corner flag at Stamford Bridge. (Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC)
Enzo Maresca sits impassively as Chelsea thrash Southampton.
Enzo Maresca celebrates on the touchline. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Numbers don’t lie – Chelsea have a card problem which will cost them eventually
As this graphic from The Athletic shows, we’re not just topping the yellow card table, we’re absolutely dominating it:
Only Southampton come close, and they’re a team scrapping at the bottom of the league, fighting for their lives and feeling maximum frustration every week. The other top teams in the league – Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and so on, are all on 34 or fewer. We’ve literally doubled last night’s opposition Brentford’s total cards, with less than half of the season played.
Even our goalkeeper is a yellow away from suspension. That’s just insane for a team a sliver away from the top of the table.
Maresca can say what he likes, and he can defend his players to the hilt, just as Pochettino did. There is just no denying the facts of the numbers. It’s time to get a grip, before it starts to seriously cost us. Sure, we can afford to lose Cucurella for a game, but it’s a matter of time before we get two crucial suspensions at the same time, or before a killer red card costs us points.