Calum McFarlane has a warning for Xabi Alonso following Chelsea’s defeat to Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland in the Premier League’s final round of fixtures.
It was a game that Chelsea needed to win to qualify for Europe, but they could not earn even a point in the end.
Calum McFarlane sends Xabi Alonso red card warning
Chelsea were not helped by Wesley Fofana’s red card in the second half, and interim manager Calum McFarlane has now sent a message to future Blues boss Xabi Alonso about the team’s ill-discipline.
The 40-year-old has warned Alonso that it is something that has to be addressed next season.
Speaking to BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella and other reporters after the game, he said: “It doesn’t help to have that many red cards… It is something we need to improve next year.”
Chris Kavanagh shows Wesley Fofana of Chelsea a second yellow card
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
That was Chelsea’s 11th red card of the campaign, including Enzo Maresca’s sending off against Liverpool last October.
Not everything can be pinned on Fofana. Chelsea went 2-0 down before his dismissal.
However, the central defender does deserve criticism after ending any chance his teammates had of coming back and securing European football.
Wesley Fofana a main culprit
This should have been a positive season for Fofana. The 25-year-old has finally managed to stay fit, yet he has proven to be more of a hindrance than an asset.
That is now the second Premier League game where Fofana has been sent off, while his defending has been far from convincing at times.
He has also picked up five yellow cards in the English top flight. It is not an obscene amount for a defender, but the Frenchman has still shown a lack of discipline this term and epitomised Chelsea’s behaviour and defending with his two cautions at the Stadium of Light.
It has been claimed that Chelsea are happy to sell Fofana when the transfer window opens. After what happened against Sunderland, you would not blame them for doing so.
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