Chelsea have already had three players sent off across all competitions this season. And we’re only at the start of October.
Robert Sanchez was sent off against Manchester United and Trevoh Chalobah saw red against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League. And Joao Pedro was sent off in the Champions League win over Benfica — though that one was for two yellow cards.
Unfortunately for Chelsea fans, this isn’t a new thing. The Blues have generally struggled with their discipline over the past few years. There has been a marked decline as Chelsea have opted for a younger team since BlueCo took over in 2022.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Card accumulation
Since the first game of the BlueCo era at the start of the 2022-23 season, Chelsea have been shown 388 yellow cards across all competitions. That, unsurprisingly, puts them top of the charts among all Premier League sides. Their average of 2.26 yellow cards per game also places them top among teams with at least two full seasons in the Premier League during that time.
Looking at just league yellow cards alone, Chelsea have received 296 bookings in the Premier League since the start of 2022-23. Again, that’s a league-high. But it also places them fifth among teams in Europe’s top five leagues for bookings across the past three years. That’s high enough, but there are 125 teams to have played a game across Europe’s top five leagues. And all four of the teams above Chelsea play in Spain, with referees very card-happy.
Chelsea also sit joint-top for red cards across all competitions among Premier League teams since the start of 2021-22. The Blues have had 15 players sent off in total, level with Wolverhampton Wanderers. And four of those have come since the start of June, including Nicolas Jackson’s dismissal at the Club World Cup.
The Blues’ 11 red cards in league play alone since 2022-23 still places them as the second-worst in the Premier League. But they are rookie numbers when it comes to Europe’s top five leagues, ranking Chelsea as the 35th-worst team.
- Chelsea’s yellow cards since 2022-23 across all competitions: 388 (Worst among Premier League teams)
- Chelsea’s yellow cards since 2022-23 in the league: 296 (Fifth-worst in Europe’s top five league)
- Chelsea’s red cards since 2022-23 across all competitions: 15 (Joint-worst among Premier League teams)
- Chelsea’s red cards since 2022-23 in the league: 11 (35th-worst in Europe’s top five league)
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Chelsea’s worst offenders
So, which Chelsea players have been the most guilty for cards in the BlueCo era? It may be no surprise to see Moises Caicedo top of the bunch, with 31 yellow cards. The Ecuadorean is one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe right now, and a master tackler. But sometimes he toes the line between what’s legal and what’s a foul. And then there are some cases of Caicedo being wrongly punished for a tackle — because he’s just that good.
Marc Cucurella sits second with 30 cards, made up of 29 yellows and one sending off. He’s one of 11 Chelsea players to have been sent off in the Premier League since the start of the 2022-23 season. Three of those players have been shown more than one red card. Club captain Reece James is joined by Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson on two red cards across the past three years. But James has only been booked 11 times, taking his total card tally to 13.
There are four Chelsea players with 20+ cards in total since the start of the 2021-22 season, with Enzo Fernandez coming in at third on 26 (all yellow cards).
| Player | Cards |
|---|---|
| Moises Caicedo | 31 (31 yellows, 0 reds) |
| Marc Cucurella | 30 (29 yellows, 1 red) |
| Enzo Fernandez | 26 (26 yellows, 0 reds) |
| Conor Gallagher | 21 (19 yellows, 2 reds) |
| Nicolas Jackson | 19 (17 yellows, 2 red) |
| Cole Palmer | 17 (17 yellows, 0 reds) |
| Levi Colwill | 15 (15 yellows, 0 reds) |
| Malo Gusto | 14 (13 yellows, 1 red) |
| Reece James | 13 (11 yellows, 2 reds) |
| Raheem Sterling | 13 (13 yellows, 0 reds) |
Chelsea’s biggest disciplinary issues
Since the start of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, Chelsea have received 183 yellow cards for different variants of fouls. But yellow cards aren’t just awarded for fouls. There are all sorts of infringements that can lead to a booking — or even a sending off. Chelsea have been shown 129 non-foul related yellow cards across the past three years. Their worst offence is for dissent, with 46 yellow cards.
The Blues have also been shown 39 yellow cards for time wasting, which includes kicking the ball away and delaying the restart. And there have been a further 42 yellow cards for argument. Chelsea managers have also been booked eight times, with six for dissent.
In terms of red cards, five have been for two yellow cards. Three were for “serious fouls” and two for the denial of obvious goalscoring opportunities (officially known as Professional Foul Last Man). Of course, they came in Chelsea’s recent matches against Man Utd and Brighton. Thomas Tuchel was also sent off for foul and abusive language, for his famous clash with Antonio Conte after full-time of a fiery clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
| Yellow card reason | Total |
|---|---|
| Foul – Tactical Foul | 94 |
| Foul – Reckless Offence | 86 |
| Dissent | 46 |
| Time Wasting | 39 |
| Argument | 24 |
| Simulation | 7 |
| Excessive Celebration | 4 |
| Foul | 3 |
| Handball | 2 |
| Other Reason | 2 |
| Off the Ball Foul | 2 |
| Not Retreating | 1 |
| Persistent Infringement | 1 |
| Entering Field | 1 |
| Red card reason | Total |
|---|---|
| 2nd Yellow Card | 5 |
| Serious Foul | 3 |
| Professional Foul Last Man | 2 |
| Violent Conduct | 1 |