Card Penalty, Fire in Chelsea's Husk

Chelsea began the 2025-2026 season with a rather peculiar trend. The team, managed by Enzo Maresca, has transformed into a card machine as several of its players have consistently faced disciplinary violations. Violations resulting in card penalties have quietly contributed to Chelsea's decline at the start of this season.

Liam Delap became the latest Chelsea player to be sent off after receiving a red card. In the English League Cup match against Wolves, Thursday (30/10/2025) early morning WIB, at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Chelsea successfully won 4-3. However, that victory was marred by Delap's red card.

The 22-year-old forward has just returned to play after being sidelined for 10 weeks due to a hamstring injury. He entered the field to replace Estevao in the 60th minute.

There has not been much contribution from Delap since entering as a substitute. On the contrary, he received his first yellow card after pushing Yerson Mosquera. Delap repeated a similar mistake by pushing Emmanuel Agbadou, resulting in a second yellow card and a red card.

He only spent a total of 25 minutes on the pitch. Maresca described Delap's two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes as embarrassing. "Of course, yes. Stupid foul, we should have avoided it," Maresca said after the match, as quoted by BBC Sport.

"After the first yellow card, I have told him (Delap) four or five times to stay calm. But Liam is a player who, when on the field, may play for himself and struggles to realize and listen to those around him," Maresca added.

Delap's red card is the sixth for Chelsea in the last nine matches. Maresca's criticism of Delap seems to lack legitimacy as he also contributed to one of Chelsea's six red cards. Maresca received a red card while celebrating Chelsea's winning goal in the final minutes against Liverpool earlier this month.

After initially denying that card penalties significantly affected his team's performance, Maresca now seems to be realizing the latent danger posed by his players' tendency to commit foolish fouls. If left unchecked, these trivial fouls resulting in cards will become a smoldering fire that gradually undermines Chelsea.

When facing Manchester United, Chelsea suffered due to the red card received by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. He was sent off just five minutes after the kickoff. Playing with ten men from the fifth minute was a significant disadvantage for Chelsea. "The Blues" ultimately lost 1-2.

The same carelessness was repeated in the match against Brighton and Hove Albion. Trevoh Chalobah received a red card for fouling Diego Gomez, who had a great opportunity to score. With a player disadvantage, Chelsea, who had initially taken the lead by one goal, ultimately lost 1-3.

"I fully understand when there is a red card, such as during the match against Brighton or Manchester United. That is difficult, but the red card against Nottingham Forest (two yellow card fouls for Malo Gusto) and the red card today, both could have been avoided. We must avoid them," said Maresca.

Repeated silly violations are starting to harm Chelsea. They are now languishing in ninth place in the temporary standings. If the red cards during the matches against MU and Brighton could have been avoided, Chelsea might be in a much better position.

Similarly, the red card received by Delap will cause him to miss the upcoming English Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. Maresca is forced to think creatively as another forward, Joao Pedro, is still doubtful to play. Delap's return after a long injury had previously increased Maresca's options in selecting a forward. However, all of that has become futile due to a foolish foul.

The issue of the numerous red cards has become a discourse in its own right within Chelsea's internal circles. Many believe that it could be more than just a tactical problem. There is a perception that Chelsea's young players are not sufficiently adept at managing their emotions. Chelsea is currently recorded as the team with an average player age of 23.1 years, making it the youngest among all league contestants.

Playing young players can be very promising while also harboring risks. It is not uncommon for a player's maturity to be tested in an important match. The risks associated with young players often relate to their decision-making and emotional control. Maturity in these two aspects can only be gained through experience, after playing hundreds of matches.

Chelsea's young players, including Delap, seem to still need to gain more experience in this regard.