Aggression. Dominance. Control.
That may sound like a war cry from an invading army of Vikings all those centuries ago, but those three words sum up much of Enzo Maresca’s philosophy on football.
In acting upon those instincts, Chelsea found themselves in bother often during the Italian’s first season in charge – in fact, no Premier League club received more cards than the Blues in 2024/25.
That tally of 99 yellows and two reds was one more than Bournemouth’s haul and nearly ten more than any other EPL outfit – suggesting that Chelsea deserve their tag as the division’s dirtiest team.
In fact, it was the fourth highest card haul in the Premier League’s 32-year history… and just eight behind the all-time record… set by, you guessed it, Chelsea in 2023/24.
And with some firebrand new signings heading to Stamford Bridge, allied to new Premier League rules on discipline, there’s even a possibility that the card tally in 2025/26 could rise yet higher.
This Is Your Captain Speaking
By our reckoning, 38 of Chelsea’s 99 yellow cards in 2024/25 came courtesy of dissent – at least ten more than any other EPL side.
It’s a mind-boggling statistic, given that dissent can be avoided by, well, not shouting at the match officials. But, of course, emotions often run high in football… and it’s easy for us to comment when watching on from the armchair at home.
That said, there is a greater need for Chelsea’s players to exercise caution during the 2025/26 campaign: now, only the team captain is allowed to engage the referee in conversation about contentious decisions.
If any other player attempts to engage the match officials in dialogue, they can be shown a yellow card for doing so ‘without permission.’ The new rule also covers disrespectful behaviour, which would still cover the old definition of dissent, too.
Not that it will affect Chelsea, you wouldn’t think, but the new Football Association edict means that if a team’s goalkeeper is their captain, another outfield player can be nominated to speak with the referee on their behalf – rather than the keeper having to charge out of their box each time.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is tasked with updating football’s rulebook. They have added this new ruling on only the captain speaking to the referee to the official Laws of the Game, although it’s discretionary – not compulsory.
However, the Premier League has chosen to adopt it… which could be bad news for Chelsea, given the players’ penchant for backchat.
A Waste of Time
IFAB have also come up with a novel way of clamping down on goalkeeper’s wasting time by holding onto the ball for too long.
As of the 2025/26 season, keepers will be given eight seconds from the moment they take possession of the ball in their hands to release it.
If they don’t, the opposition will be awarded a corner kick. And for repeat offenders, there will likely be a yellow card shown, too.
Of course, the Premier League has always had a similar rule – before, goalkeepers were only allowed to hold onto the ball for six seconds. However, you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that a player was penalised for doing so.
So this is a hardline new stance, with referees expected to audibly count down from five to zero to give the goalkeeper a heads up. Keepers, you’ve been warned…
IFAB and FIFA joined forced to trial the rule at the Club World Cup in the summer of 2025, where – lo and behold – Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez was booked for time wasting against Fluminense.
The Spaniard has previous in this regard, having been cautioned five times during the Premier League season of 2024/25 – most of those for time wasting. Intriguingly, Sanchez has, at the age of 27, amassed 14 EPL yellow cards… five more in 2025/26 and he will enter the Premier League’s top five most booked goalkeepers in history.
Hopefully, Sanchez will heed his warning accordingly…
Transferred Trouble
It’s almost as if being a prolific card-getter is one of the metrics Maresca plugs into his transfer model.
He splashed the cash on Liam Delap and Joao Pedro in the summer of 2025; during the prior 2024/25 campaign, they picked up 16 Premier League yellow cards between them – Delap receiving a dirty dozen of them.
Liam Delap, welcome to our house. 🏡 pic.twitter.com/EO3GIT0mlv
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 4, 2025
Then there’s Dario Essugo, who the Blues have snapped up from Sporting Lisbon. In a loan spell at Las Palmas last term, he picked up seven yellow cards and two reds in La Liga alone.
Factor in Jamie Gittens and Mamadou Sarr, who both picked up four bookings apiece in the league for Borussia Dortmund and Strasbourg respectively, and it’s clear that Chelsea have added to the aggression and naughtiness already contained in the squad.
Could that prove disastrous, given the Premier League’s toughened disciplinary rules?