Enzo Maresca: Chelsea players decide punishment for red cards, not me | OneFootball

The Blues have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League this season

Your matchday briefing on Chelsea, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dom Smith

Sign up

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The Blues have also received a red card in the Champions League, with Joao Pedro suspended for Wednesday’s home game against Ajax following a second yellow card and sending-off against Benfica.

“I have four kids — when they do something wrong, I do not punish them,” Maresca said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “I try to teach them to do the right things. I try to do this with the players too. This is the way I like to do things.

“[The] Malo [Gusto] red card [against Forest], we can avoid that. Joao red card, we can probably avoid that.

“You can all avoid but at the same time, if you see Trevoh's [Chalobah] red card, you can allow him to shoot and then we'll see. Manchester United, it's exactly the same.

“The last one, I think it was a huge mistake [from Gusto]. The game was finished and it was 0-3. They were shouting to each other not to concede. They wanted to continue to be intense and aggressive.”

The Italian continued: “For sure, when you concede five or six red cards, there is something that we have to improve. It's something that we are going to improve.”

Asked whether there is a system for fines for ill-discipline at Chelsea, Maresca revealed: “I think the players have a system between the changing room, inside the changing room, so a fine is something that they manage.”