Chelsea captain Reece James has denied suggestions the Blues are suffering from a disciplinary problem after their latest red card, explaining why “it’s difficult” to accept the sweeping criticism.
Saturday’s 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest was marred by a late red card for Malo Gusto, whose lunge to prevent a counter-attack earned him a second yellow and continued Chelsea’s miserable run of early dismissals.
Each of Chelsea’s last four games has included one red card, including for manager Enzo Maresca, while the Blues have finished with 10 players in five of their last six outings across all competitions, adding more fuel to claims that the Blues have a problem when it comes to discipline.
Maresca has already brushed off the suggestions, and now captain James has argued that his dismissed teammates have simply been victims of unfortunate circumstance.
“It’s difficult, if you look at all of them, they’re all very different,” James said. “They’re not all straight reds.
“I was next to [Gusto] when I saw him going for the tackle, and it was a split second in it. He was there to win the ball, and just mistimed it.
“I wouldn’t say it is a problem for us. We have to accept it. This is what’s happened in the past few games, but it’s not something that will continue.”
Indeed, Chelsea are the only team in the Premier League to have been shown more than one red card so far this season, sinking them right to the bottom of the division’s Fair Play standings.
That being said, this issue is nothing new for Chelsea, who have been plagued by disciplinary concerns since the arrival of the new ownership in 2022. The 2023–24 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino produced a record of 105 yellow cards and the total of 301 yellows over the past three seasons is well above any other side in the division.
Critics have pointed to the average age of the Chelsea squad amid accusations of a lack of experience. The Blues lineup against Forest was the youngest on average in the Premier League this season and many have suggested they simply lack a certain know-how at the highest level.
Maresca has promised to analyse each of Chelsea’s recent dismissals but has firmly brushed off any significant concerns, highlighting there have been no examples of violent conduct and most of the red cards have come from split-second decisions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘It’s Difficult’—Reece James Weighs in on Chelsea’s Disciplinary Issue Accusations.
