Chelsea had a few issues under Enzo Maresca, and it is impossible for new manager Liam Rosenior to solve them all in one go. One former Blues star has highlighted the key problem that should be the Englishman’s priority.
Maresca’s time at Chelsea is done after the club parted ways on New Year’s Day. The Italian’s exit has seen Liam Rosenior coming in from Strasbourg, and the young coach has a lot on his plate from the get-go.
Jason Cundy was on talkSPORT talking about his former club when he pointed out the one key issue Rosenior can solve instantly. He believes the Englishman needs to tell the players how to behave on the pitch and to avoid unnecessary bookings and red cards.
The footballer-turned-pundit claims that missing a key player every other week has been a big issue for the club in recent weeks and said:
“If there is one thing Liam Rosenior can come in and do and make a small impact, is sort our discipline out. Every single week it feels that we’re missing an important player.
“Injuries are one thing, injuries sometimes you can’t prevent that. But one thing you can prevent are red cards. It drives me insane. Manchester City away, Liam Delap, first thing he does is, he bundles into someone and picks up a yellow card.
“I understand he wants to impress and there’s an aggressive side to his game which he needs to harness, because I want to keep that part of him. You can’t give yellow cards away for stupid things.
“Kicking balls away, speaking to the referee, those things drive me insane. Sort that out and you’ll make your job a lot easier to pick from a squad, you’ve got your best players available.”
Cundy went on to call the discipline issue a disgrace at Chelsea under Maresca. He recalled the red cards from last season and added:
“Our discipline record under Maresca was nothing short of a disgrace… It was appalling. Nothing ever improved, it was every week.
“Going back to last season, Jackson away at Newcastle, the Club World Cup. We have become a liability. Sort that out and you watch the difference in the team selection that Liam Rosenior will have to choose from.”
Chelsea have five red cards this season in the Premier League, along with 47 yellow cards.
