Chelsea have been ambitious to top the Premier League table for three consecutive seasons—but not in terms of results needed to win the title, rather in accumulating yellow and red cards. By this metric, Chelsea have long been the most "disciplined-challenged" team.
The numbers speak for themselves. In this season’s Premier League Fair Play Table (1 point for each yellow card, 5 points for each red card), Chelsea lead with 15 yellow cards and 2 red cards, totaling 25 points.
In the 2022-23 season, Chelsea ranked 6th in the Fair Play Table (86 points). The following season, their points rose to the top (117 points) and they set a new Premier League record with 105 yellow cards.
In Maresca’s first season in charge, Chelsea finished 2nd in the points ranking (106 points).
As shown in the figure below, over the past three years, Chelsea’s total number of yellow cards (301) has easily surpassed that of any other team. The club also ranks 2nd in red cards during this period (12, including 2 from two yellows and 6 straight reds), only one less than Wolverhampton Wanderers.
More intuitively, since the 2022-23 season, Chelsea have received the most yellow cards in the Premier League for dissent/arguing and diving. They also rank 2nd in time-wasting (39 cards, behind only Aston Villa) and reckless challenges (95 cards, behind only Crystal Palace).
They have the most yellow cards in the 75-90 minute period, the 2nd most in the 60-75 minute period, and the 3rd most in second-half stoppage time.
Whether due to fatigue or taking risks to chase points or hold a lead, this clearly shows they are the least capable of avoiding yellow cards by managing fouls in the latter stages of matches.
Further analysis reveals that of the 107 yellow cards received after the 75th minute (including stoppage time), 55 are from tactical fouls (29) and reckless challenges (26), while 24 are from dissent/arguing.
Given that Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard all managed Chelsea in the 2022-23 season, it is difficult to assess any trends for that season—but patterns can be identified in the tenures of Mauricio Pochettino (2023-24) and Maresca (2024-present).
Under these two managers, Chelsea have been penalized the most for "tactical fouls"—a scenario that typically occurs when trying to stop counterattacks, prevent opponents from creating goal-scoring chances, or illegally halt play to let teammates get back into defensive positions.
Inevitably, most Chelsea players who receive yellow cards are defenders. However, the fact that Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, and Jackson have the most yellow cards for dissent across all categories highlights some immaturity within the team.
Fernández either serves as captain or vice-captain on matchdays. 11 of his 19 yellow cards are for dissent—hardly setting a positive example.
