Chelsea’s miserable season ended in the worst way possible on Sunday after defeat against Sunderland confirmed the club would miss out on European football altogether next season.
It was another damaging afternoon for the Blues in a campaign which has too often spiralled out of control.
And unfortunately, last Sunday's match away to the Black Cats once again highlighted one of the side's biggest issues, and it's one that has plagued them throughout the entire season.
Discipline.
Wesley Fofana became the latest Chelsea player to be sent off after receiving a red card during the 2-1 defeat, taking the club’s overall total to a remarkable 11 red cards across all competitions this season.
That number is damning for any side hoping to compete seriously at the top level.
Calum McFarlane frustrated by Chelsea's poor disciplinary record this season
Speaking to Football London reporters after the defeat, interim manager Calum McFarlane openly admitted Chelsea’s disciplinary problems have become a major issue.
“Definitely an issue, definitely a problem. I think we are by far the team who has the most red cards in the league," he said.
McFarlane then pointed towards Arsenal as the example Chelsea should be following after Mikel Arteta’s side secured the Premier League title.
He added: “I’m pretty sure if you look at Arsenal who won the league, I don’t think they had one red card. So it doesn’t help having that many red cards. It’s something we need to improve next year."
And that sums up Chelsea’s season perfectly. Too often, the club have made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves through moments of poor discipline and defensive mishaps.
Fofana’s dismissal against Sunderland was just the latest example, and Chelsea paid the price again.
First thing Alonso must fix next season
Xabi Alonso will inherit plenty of problems when he officially arrives at Stamford Bridge this summer, but Chelsea’s disciplinary issues need addressing immediately.
Going down to 10 men 11 times across a single season is completely unacceptable for a club aiming to compete.
There were far too many matches this year where Chelsea lost their heads when things started going against them, particularly during difficult away games. That absolutely has to change under Alonso.
The Spaniard’s teams at Bayer Leverkusen were known for their discipline, structure and control during matches. At Chelsea, talent is not the issue, a lack of discipline is.
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