Chelsea have received nine dismissals across all competitions, although former manager Maresca, who was sent off for over‑celebrating a last‑minute winner against Liverpool, does not count in that total.
They are one short of equalling the joint record of eight different players sent off in a single season, held by Sunderland. They are two away from matching the Premier League record for the most red cards in a campaign.
This is far from a new issue.
Chelsea, bottom of the Premier League fair‑play table, finished second‑bottom last season under Maresca and bottom the year before under Mauricio Pochettino.
Maresca initially played down concerns before later launching his own review of the team’s indiscipline prior to his departure. Rosenior, meanwhile, believed he had tightened up Chelsea‘s disciplinary problems – only to see red cards return in consecutive matches.
“I have respect for the previous manager Enzo [Maresca]. I don’t speak about what happened before but it is starting to happen with me,” Rosenior said.
“That’s something I felt we had addressed. We went 10 games without a red card, now [we have had] two in two games and that’s a problem we need to solve.”
Why are Chelsea getting so many players sent off?
One possible factor, which is played down internally in west London, is that they have the youngest squad in the Premier League and lack natural leaders.
Former England defender Matthew Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It is costing them. I don’t think it is something you can address at this point – you’re in March.
“It is something that is said in pre‑season. It is cultural and you build it into the club. The players buy into it and they police it. It is about being measured and controlled at the right moment.
“Again, they are young as well. The younger you are, the more susceptible you are to those situations.”
One of the leaders tasked with helping halt Chelsea‘s disciplinary slide, Reece James, told Sky Sports: “Every time it’s someone different, not the same player. Internally we need to review and keep improving. It’s a problem.
“We are playing in the toughest league in the world — 11 v 11 is tough; 11 v 10 is even harder, no matter who you are playing.”