Home / Football / Premier League News Chelsea: Rosenior to adjust team selection based on discipline as Blues near unwanted record The Blues have seen seven players sent off in the Premier League. Written by Nicholas McGee Last Update: March 2, 2026 04:14:35 pm GMT 4 min read Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior revealed he will adjust his team selection with a view to improving his teams dismal disciplinary record after Pedro Neto was sent off in their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. Neto will miss Wednesdays trip to Aston Villa after he was shown a second yellow card for hacking down Gabriel Martinelli, moments after receiving his first caution for a show of dissent as Chelsea protested Arsenals second goal.It marked Chelseas seventh red card in the Premier League and ninth in all competitions. That number rises to 10 when including former boss Enzo Marescas dismissal against Liverpool.While confirming Neto had apologised to his team-mates, Rosenior stressed that the ill-discipline that has been a constant feature of Chelseas campaign can no longer be tolerated.Table of Contents1 Rosenior: Chelsea discipline must improve2 Chelsea boss calls for set-piece review3 Chelsea close on unwanted recordRosenior: Chelsea discipline must improveSpeaking in his pre-match press conference, Rosenior said of his sides disciplinary record: It needs to improve promptly.My job is to create a culture of accountability, whereby if you make a mistake, you hold your hands up and make sure it doesnt happen again. But you have to hold your hands up to the original mistake, though.Pedro has apologised to the group. We will miss him for the next game. I need to see an improvement in the behaviour now.Its not just him though, weve had bookings for needless dissent and fouls. If were to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make a conscious step now to make sure it doesnt happen again.The first thing is picking the players who are actually showing that improvement. I cannot afford to go through a season picking up a red card every one or two games, it just isnt possible.So I need to see improvement and I need to adjust my team selection based on those players that are showing those capabilities.Chelsea boss calls for set-piece reviewWhile Rosenior was once again irritated by his teams lack of discipline, Chelsea were left aggrieved by the goal from Jurrien Timber that restored Arsenals lead.Neto and his team-mates were furious as no foul was given against Arsenal, with the Blues claims that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was impeded as they attempted to defend a set-piece falling on deaf ears.Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on Monday that the Premier League was not a joy to watch because of the new reality of set-piece dominance.You have to accept that its mainly here in the Premier League, said Slot, referencing his native Netherlands, where he spent his entire playing career and won the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup with Feyenoord.If I watch other leagues, I dont think theres so much emphasis on set pieces. Thats sometimes funny for me to do if I watch an Eredivisie game which I still do [in which] goals are disallowed because fouls on goalkeepers are given.Asked to weigh in on Slots remarks, Rosenior said: I think that is the beauty of football, you can do it in so many different ways. Theres no right or wrong way to play football for me. Im sure when we scored from a corner yesterday, our fans didnt care what the goal looked like. Im sure Arsenals fans didnt care what their goals looked like either. The game is about winning.What I would say about corners is that there needs to be a review at the end of the season in terms of the way teams are affecting the goalkeepers and are holding on during defensive set plays. I think thats something that gives an unfair advantage to certain teams.Chelsea close on unwanted recordIn terms of their record in all competitions, Chelsea have already tied the record for the most red cards by a Premier League club in a single season.Looking solely at the Premier League, they are now just two behind the record for one campaign.Most red cards in a single Premier League season:Sunderland (2009-10): 9Queens Park Rangers (2011-12): 9Leicester City (1994-95): 8Blackburn Rovers (1998-99): 8West Ham United (1999-00): 8Newcastle United (2008-09): 8Sunderland (2013-14): 8 Topics: Chelsea F.C. Premier League Follow us: Nicholas McGee Nicholas is a freelance sports journalist with significant experience covering a wide variety of sports. He has previously worked for Stats Perform and was most recently employed as San Francisco 49ers beat writer for A to Z Sports. He regularly contributes to Gridiron magazine and has also had NFL work featured in The Times and The Mirror. Read more from Nicholas McGee
