Enzo Maresca has not done too much wrong at Chelsea this season, with injuries partly to blame for their inconsistency.
The Blues are currently without some big players, including Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill.
Red cards also contributed to defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, so some supporters will have sympathy for Maresca, who was sent off himself last weekend.
However, how the Italian reacted to those red cards can definitely be questioned.
Enzo Maresca must devise better strategy for playing with 10 men
Chelsea totally capitulated in their games against Brighton and United after losing Trevoh Chalobah and Robert Sanchez.
Maresca came under fire for the substitutions he made and tactics he used, particularly after going down to 10 men in the 2-1 defeat to United.
Ideally, Chelsea players will stop getting sent off after the international break. But during it, there is no reason why Maresca cannot spend some time developing a better strategy for playing a man down.
There is not much the Chelsea head coach can do about all of these injuries. And if the likes of Sanchez and Chalobah choose to act rashly on the pitch, there is nothing he can do at that moment either.
What is in Maresca’s hands, though, is preparing for the scenario where Chelsea are at a disadvantage, which he can start thinking about at Cobham right now.
Marc Cucurella recently spoke about Chelsea’s sending offs, putting them down to pressing high and leaving space behind, which allows for dangerous one-v-one situations.
David James makes big claim after Chelsea’s series of red cards
Again, in an ideal world, Chelsea would finish their games with 11 men on the pitch. If the Blues can do that, former Liverpool and England goalkeeper David James actually thinks they can compete for the Premier League title.
When James discussed Chelsea’s title chances following their victory over Liverpool, he said: “I think they are genuine title contenders if they keep themselves on the pitch.”
A few signings in January would not hurt Chelsea’s cause either. But they do look far from a title charge, whether they can sort out their discipline or not.
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