Hooligan Soccer
·21. Oktober 2025
Chelsea Defy Disciplinary Issues

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Yahoo sportsHooligan Soccer
·21. Oktober 2025
Chelsea’s recent form and results look remarkably good considering their astonishingly bad disciplinary record. The Blues have received four red cards in their last six games in all competitions. Five if you include boss Enzo Maresca’s sending off after his side’s late winner against Liverpool.
Thankfully, for Maresca and his side, those red cards have proved less costly of late. They have still managed to win four of their last five matches. Malo Gusto’s dismissal on Saturday came when Chelsea were already 3-0 up against Nottingham Forest. João Pedro’s 96th minute sending off against Benfica proved too late for their opponents to take advantage.
But the fact remains that it becomes infinitely harder to win matches when you are having to cope with suspensions and play with a man less for periods of games. It is clear the Blues cannot keep up their woeful disciplinary record if they are to keep on improving.
Maresca has been calm about his side’s issues, insisting ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash with Ajax there is no major disciplinary problem at the club.
“Personally, I’m not that kind of manager to punish players, I don’t think it’s the right way to do things,” Maresca said. “I prefer to help them to understand and to do the right things.”
“I have four kids. When they do something wrong, I don’t punish them, I try to teach them to do the right things. I try to treat the players in the same way – to try to help them to understand.”
Injuries and suspensions continue to prove a problem for Chelsea, most notably the absence of talisman Cole Palmer with a groin problem. João Pedro will be unavailable against Ajax after that red, and Liam Delap is not yet fit to return from August’s hamstring injury. Maresca will likely have to turn to either Tyrique George or Marc Guiu to lead the line on Wednesday.
Guiu joined Sunderland on loan in the summer but was recalled after playing just three games for the club. Chelsea became light on numbers up top following Delap’s injury and Nicolas Jackson’s departure for Bayern Munich.
The young Spaniard played 45 minutes in the win over Forest on Saturday. He was key in helping the team become more of a threat following a goalless first half. Like many of Chelsea’s players, he still has plenty of developing to do, but the clash with Ajax could present the ideal opportunity to throw him into the starting line-up.
Maresca has, however, more often turned to George as his go to centre-forward when his first two options of João Pedro and Delap are unavailable. You may recall the Blues were seemingly open to let the attacker leave for west London rivals Fulham in the summer, before that deal collapsed.
Questions also remain around the club’s recruitment policy, and whether some of the roughly $2bn (yes, billion) spent under this ownership should have been invested in more proven, attacking talent to give Maresca and his side a better chance of kicking on to the next level.
The Blues will still be expected to beat Ajax on Wednesday night. The Amsterdam club currently sit fourth in the Eredivisie following a mixed start to the campaign, and have some problems of their own to overcome.
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