Former England international took aim at ‘petulant’ Chelsea in shock Ipswich defeat, he has a point

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Chelsea desperately need a response after yet another disappointing result yesterday in the Premier League.

It’s been a really positive first half of the season from Chelsea under Enzo Maresca’s management, but things are starting to unravel in the last few games.

The Blues suffered a 2-0 away loss at Ipswich Town on Monday night in their final game of 2024. This follows a defeat to Fulham and a draw to Ipswich Town in their most recent three matches.

There’s now been an accusation that Chelsea’s stars were petulant in the Ipswich defeat. A few times this year the Blues players have lost their concentration and discipline. For example, Marc Cucurella was sent off in this month’s win over Brentford for a confrontation after the full-time whistle.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca shares what the referee told him about Marc Cucurella after Chelsea red card vs Brentford

Paul Robinson points out Chelsea petulance

Paul Robinson, the former England international and now BBC pundit, accused the Chelsea players of showing petulance in their defeat to Ipswich.

Robinson told BBC Sport: (9:48pm, 30 December): “The Chelsea players are still moaning on the pitch, there’s still petulance.”

In fairness, it’s a valid point because a few times this young Chelsea squad can be naive and lose their cool.

Maresca guided Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez away from a confrontation against Ipswich after the game had finished. Meanwhile, Blues defender Levi Colwill was furious in the Ipswich loss.

It would be great to see this young Chelsea side work on their composure and calmness in games as they move into 2025 because it’s a glaring weakness that opposition teams will begin to target.

Chelsea’s discipline issue

As well as the eye test when it comes to Chelsea’s petulance on the pitch, the statistics support that they may have a disciplinary problem this season.

It’s time for Chelsea’s leaders on the pitch to step up and set the tone for everyone else. It’s certainly not ideal when stand-in captain Fernandez is being dragged away from a scene by the manager.

While there’s a lot to love about Maresca’s impact in his first six months at the club, this is an area he needs to address quickly.