Enzo Maresca took a surprisingly positive stance after watching his Chelsea side collect yet another red card against Benfica on Tuesday night, joking that it’s “a good thing” they were finally able to win a match after being reduced to 10.
João Pedro was dismissed in stoppage time of a scratchy 1–0 Champions League win over José Mourinho’s visitors after collecting a second yellow card. The Brazilian was booked for a foul within seconds of his second-half introduction before getting penalised for a high boot with the match already won.
That dismissal represented Chelsea’s third red card in four games, the same tally they amassed over the previous 49 matches.
“A good thing is we are improving and we can win with 10 players,” Maresca fired back when faced with these unflattering statistics.
Chelsea’s Red Card Problem
Red cards for Robert Sánchez and Trevoh Chalobah had resulted in defeats to Manchester United and Brighton respectively. That duo was dismissed for denying goalscoring opportunities, with Sánchez clattering into Bryan Mbeumo after a simple Benjamin Šeško flick-on while Chalobah was desperately trying to rectify Andrey Santos’s leaden-footed touch.
Maresca was adamant that this sequence didn’t worry him. “For us it is a journey that started this season and, game after game, we get better,” the Italian coach mused.
“The Newcastle and Flamengo red cards [earned by Nicolas Jackson last season] were for bad actions, then Sánchez [vs Man Utd] is not for a bad action, it’s just because he wants to defend the goal, Chalobah [vs Brighton] is because he wants to defend the goal.
“For me personally, it’s not any concern or issue, it’s just a moment probably you need to take a different option and avoid. Sometimes it’s better to concede the goal or the chance because then it’s 11 vs. 11.”
Maresca will surely be keen to keep a full complement on the pitch when Chelsea host a Liverpool side going through their own struggles on Saturday evening.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘A Good Thing’—Enzo Maresca Takes Surprising Stance on Chelsea’s Red Card Blitz.
