Chelsea FC: Discipline crisis deepens as worrying trend continues with Joao Pedro red card

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Chelsea: Discipline crisis deepens as worrying trend continues with Joao Pedro red card

Enzo Maresca will hope Chelsea’s discipline issue does not prove costly in the long-term

Joao Pedro walks past Enzo Maresca after his late red card in Chelsea’s win over Benfica

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Dom Smith

2 minutes ago

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There was something almost humorous about Chelsea managing to find time, even with 96 minutes on the clock, to receive their latest red card and yet another (slightly) early bath.

The second yellow card shown to Joao Pedro deep in injury time of Chelsea’s 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica on Tuesday night made it three dismissals in their last four games.

Enzo Maresca saw the funny side, smiling as he told reporters after the game: “At least we are improving. At least we learnt how to win a game with a red card!”

After defeats in the league to Manchester United and Brighton in which Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah sendings-off threw Chelsea off course and contributed to defeats on both occasions, it was a positive development to see the Blues this time cling on to victory.

But the fact Joao Pedro received a red card at all — however undeserved Maresca felt it was — saw Chelsea’s discipline crisis deepen. They have received 25 yellow cards and three reds in just nine games this season, a trend that will continue to cost them valuable points if they do not clean up their act.

In the Premier League and Champions League, dropped points tends to mean giving up on your targets pretty quickly.

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Even among players who have not been sent off this term, Marc Cucurella, Andrey Santos and Enzo Fernandez have been shown three yellow cards each already, and Reece James, Jorrel Hato and Tyrique George two apiece.

Quite apart from red cards, accumulating too many yellows is another fine way of earning suspensions, and Chelsea’s injuries have already left them with a smaller squad than Maresca would like as it is. Suspensions will only limit his and their options further.

Sent-off: Joao Pedro is now facing a Champions League suspension

Action Images via Reuters

“Unfortunately, it’s another red card that we need to avoid,” Maresca lamented after the game. But as he reflected on the last five red cards Chelsea have picked up, it became clear the Italian believes the Blues’ run on regular dismissals is no worrying trend.

“I think the Newcastle and Flamengo red cards [both for Nicolas Jackson] were for bad action.

“Then the Sanchez [red card] is not for a bad action, it's just because he wants to defend the goal. Chalobah is because he wants to defend the goal. And tonight, I think the second yellow card Joao didn't even touch the other player, but the dynamic of the action is a dangerous one.

“So for me personally, there is not any concern or any issue. It's just a moment that probably you need to take a different reason and avoid, for instance, Robert's after two, three minutes. Or even the other day, Brighton, 50 minutes.”

Maresca is a stickler for positional discipline, and going down to ten men against United and Brighton disrupted the harmony of his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

He then made poor substitution choices after those red cards and it cost Chelsea dearly on both occasions, but it is clear he has been frustrated at having to regularly contend with his team being a man down.

“Sometimes it's better to concede the goal or the chance because then it's 11v11, you have 40 more minutes [to put it right],” he explained. “So for me personally, there is not any problem [in being] behind.”

For now, Chelsea must suffer the consequences of their recent ill-discipline.

Following his red against Brighton, Trevoh Chalobah, the most experienced centre-back who isn’t out injured, is suspended for the league visit of leaders Liverpool to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, meaning Maresca must select a pairing from Benoit Badiashile and 19-year-old duo Hato and Josh Acheampong.

Then in their next Champions League game, at home to Ajax on October 22, Joao Pedro will serve a one-match ban following his sending off against Benfica. And if Cole Palmer has not recovered from his groin injury by then, the attack may look very light indeed.

Maresca may be right that there is no grave pattern in need of stamping out, that Chelsea’s flurry of red cards will not continue — but for now they just keep coming.

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