Chelsea’s final game before Christmas against Newcastle United will go down as one of their most entertaining of the year, but not one they can claim all three points from.
Enzo Maresca’s men were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw, however will be pleased with their spirit after going into the break 2-0 down.
Reece James and Joao Pedro scored for the Blues, although the game as a whole followed the Christmas tradition of giving when it comes to referee Andy Madley.
The Englishman gave out nine yellow cards in total, with six of those going to people associated with Chelsea.
Newcastle United v Chelsea - Premier League
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Chelsea set for FA charge after picking up six yellow cards vs Newcastle
Five players were cautioned, including Moises Caicedo on his Premier League return from suspension, with Maresca making it six in total.
As per the Daily Mail’s report from Chelsea’s win against Bournemouth last season, the Blues are now set to be charged by the FA for reaching six bookings in a single game.
The report went to say that they were charged £25,000 for this offence, and can expect the same punishment this time around.
Discipline has been an ongoing issue for Chelsea this season, and their manager has been no saint either. Maresca is now suspended for the next game against Aston Villa, the second game this season he will miss.
Newcastle United v Chelsea - Premier League
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Chelsea’s discipline problem needs addressing very soon
Chelsea have 35 yellow cards in 17 Premier League games this season, however their four red cards to players is more than any other side by far.
It is fair to say that the sending offs of Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah in particular have cost Chelsea points this season, with them going on to lose against Manchester United and Brighton respectively.
Suspensions to key players are always going to be an issue, although Chelsea need to look no further than their struggles in the games after Caicedo was recently absent as to reason why they need to get the message across to their players.
It starts from the top though, and Maresca will need to do his best to set an example to his players that this kind of behaviour is not going to help his side in the long run.
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