Reece James insists Chelsea DON'T have a discipline problem despite mindless Malo Gusto foul earning Blues fifth red card in six games

Chelsea eventually cruised to a 3-0 win away the City Ground after a poor first-half display, with James at the heart of the performance. The 25-year-old Blues captain opened the scoring with a superb volley and later set up another goal as his side controlled the contest from start to finish. However, their afternoon was tainted in the closing stages when Gusto received a second yellow card for a clumsy late challenge on Neco Williams, reducing Chelsea to 10 men once more.

The red card marked Chelsea’s fifth in their last six games, adding to the growing frustration surrounding the club’s recent disciplinary record. Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, Joao Pedro, and even manager Enzo Maresca, who was sent off for touchline misconduct against Liverpool, have all received early trips back to the dressing room and it has fuelled criticism of the team’s on-field temperament. However, when questioned about the frequency of red cards this season, Chelsea captain James claimed that there isn’t an issue within the squad

Speaking after the match, James defended his team-mates and dismissed claims that Chelsea have a discipline issue under Maresca. “It’s difficult, if you look at all of them, they’re all very different. They’re not all straight reds,” James explained. “I was next to him (Gusto) when I saw him going for the tackle, and it was a split second in it. He was there to win the ball, and just mistimed it.”

The England international stressed that the situation has been blown out of proportion and that the team remains united in their approach. “I wouldn’t say it is a problem for us. We have to accept it,” James added. “This is what’s happened in the past few games, but it’s not something that will continue.”

Maresca also claimed that there wasn’t a discipline issue within the Chelsea camp as he said: "Again, it's something that we can do better, but I'm not concerned. I know that there are some of you that say, 'why is he not concerned?' I'm not concerned, because I like to analyse. It's a moment that we consider a red card, yes. We can avoid that, yes, for sure we can avoid that. But also for me, the desire of the players is important.

“Today, with 3-0, 90 minutes the game is finished. Malo [Gusto] can avoid that, because it's useless to make a second foul on a yellow card, for sure. But also the good part is, Malo is showing that he doesn't want to concede nothing. They don't want to concede a goal, they are playing for a clean sheet. It's the balance, we can avoid that for sure."

Statistically, Chelsea’s recent red card record contrasts sharply with last season’s figures. In the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, the Blues received just four red cards across the entire regular season and the Club World Cup, suggesting that the current spike in dismissals under Maresca is an outlier rather than an ongoing concern. Internally, there is reportedly confidence that the Blues’ recent disciplinary troubles do not reflect a deeper behavioural issue.

Chelsea’s immediate focus will be on maintaining their upward trajectory while cutting out the needless errors that have repeatedly left them a man short. Gusto’s suspension will force Maresca into another defensive reshuffle, with James likely to shoulder even more responsibility against Sunderland, especially due to the sheer number of injuries in the Blues' defensive line.