Prediction for Chelsea vs Ajax (02:00, 23/10): Is Chelsea really ugly?

22/10/2025 10:45:00 GoalGuru

Five red cards in six recent games have caused many to brand Chelsea as an unsightly side. Is Enzo Maresca’s team truly worthy of this label, or is this simply a hurdle they need to overcome to grow?

Malo Gusto’s red card in the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest resulted in Chelsea receiving red cards in four straight matches. Before that, Trevoh Chalobah was sent off against Brighton, Joao Pedro during the win over Benfica, and Enzo Maresca himself in the victory against Liverpool. Additionally, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was shown red in the loss to Manchester United.

Alarming statistics

Looking at the numbers, Chelsea shows worrying signs regarding their control over discipline. The only Premier League match where Maresca’s team avoided any cards so far this season was their 2-1 win over Liverpool earlier this month. From the start of the season until now, Chelsea has accumulated a total of 17 yellow cards and 3 red cards in the Premier League (Maresca’s red against Liverpool and Pedro’s red against Ajax are counted separately). Converted into Premier League Fair Play points, Chelsea has just 29 points, placing them at the bottom of the table. The personnel losses are clear, even though all five red card cases resulted in just one-match suspensions. Pedro will miss tonight’s match against Ajax, while Malo Gusto will sit out the weekend game against Sunderland. Beyond suspensions, the Blues have also suffered financially with a £25,000 fine for five yellows and one red card in the 1-2 defeat to Manchester United a month ago.

However, it’s not only this season that Chelsea has proven prone to disciplinary issues. In 2023-24, Chelsea’s Fair Play score under Pochettino was 117 points, a consequence of 105 yellow cards over 38 rounds. Last season, under Maresca, Chelsea scored 106 Fair Play points, ranking second to last. Including the 2022-23 season, Chelsea has received 301 yellow cards and 12 reds over the past three seasons. Notably, 15 of those yellow cards were due to players reacting to referees.

Chelsea has received five red cards in their last six matches across all competitions

Easy to get cards due to a young squad

From another perspective, Chelsea players’ frequent bookings partly relate to the youth development strategy under Todd Boehly’s era. Maresca’s squad averages 24.4 years old this season, making them the youngest team among the 20 Premier League clubs.

Preview and odds analysis for Chelsea vs Ajax at 02:00 on 23/10, UEFA Champions League

Is there a way for Maresca to fix the discipline issues at Stamford Bridge? He can remind his players about proper conduct in reacting to on-field situations, but he himself failed to control his celebration which led to a second yellow card in the Liverpool win, later stating he was ready to accept the punishment.

Analyzing the five red cards Chelsea has received since the season began, it’s clear that the main issues are individual mistakes or a lack of awareness to realize some challenges aren’t worth contesting at all costs. Maresca highlighted this when discussing Joao Pedro’s red card against Benfica: “If it’s a red for deliberate foul play, that’s a different matter. But this (Pedro’s red) was a decision made within 2 to 3 seconds. Should you commit the foul or not? We need to carefully analyze the situation.”

Pedro’s absence against Ajax will pose a significant headache for Maresca, but Marc Guiu had a fairly good second half against Nottingham Forest and is ready to lead Chelsea’s attack. Despite personnel difficulties from injuries and suspensions, Maresca’s team is in excellent form this October. They have won three consecutive matches against Benfica, Liverpool, and Nottingham Forest. Blues fans hope for another victory in their fifth meeting with Dutch representatives in European competition. Many are also anxiously wondering if there will be any red cards tonight, recalling that nearly five years ago, Chelsea made a remarkable comeback from 1-4 down to draw 4-4 thanks to two red cards for Ajax.

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