Chelsea’s Disciplinary Record: A Growing Concern #

Chelsea’s performance this season has shown improvement in terms of points, but a concerning trend has emerged regarding their disciplinary record. The team is currently leading the Premier League in bookings, with 21 yellow cards in just six fixtures.

This issue is not new for Chelsea. In the 2023-24 season, they broke the Premier League record for most yellow cards in a single season with 105, surpassing the previous record of 101. The team received at least one booking in all but two league matches last season.

Under the new head coach, the situation doesn’t seem to be improving. Chelsea is averaging 3.5 yellow cards per game, which, if maintained, could result in 133 bookings by the end of the season. This puts them fourth among the top five leagues in Europe for disciplinary issues.

A recent match against Bournemouth highlighted this problem, with eight Chelsea players receiving yellow cards. While some bookings might be considered harsh, others were for avoidable offenses like dissent and excessive celebration.

The head coach has downplayed the issue, suggesting it’s not a discipline problem and that some yellow cards were possibly avoidable from the referee’s perspective. However, the numbers suggest a deeper issue that needs addressing.

Analysis of the team’s disciplinary record shows many “cheap” bookings for offenses that could be easily avoided:

23 cards for dissent since last season (5 already this season)
Multiple cards for time-wasting

Interestingly, Chelsea is not an overly physical team. They average 10.5 fouls per game, ranking among the lowest in the Premier League. Their tackle average of 16.7 per match puts them 16th in the league. This suggests that the team is receiving more bookings than their style of play would typically warrant.

The consequences of this poor disciplinary record could be significant. Two of Chelsea’s regular defenders are already on four bookings each. Premier League rules impose automatic bans for accumulating yellow cards:

5 yellows in first 19 fixtures: 1-game ban
10 yellows in 32 fixtures: 2-match ban
15 yellows before season end: 3-match ban

While the head coach has acknowledged areas for improvement in attack and defense, addressing the team’s disciplinary issues should also be a priority. Reducing unnecessary bookings could be crucial for Chelsea’s performance and aspirations this season.