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Liam Rosenior is demanding a new culture of accountability at Chelsea to rectify the club’s alarming disciplinary record, following Pedro Neto’s apology for his red card during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat against Arsenal.
The Portugal international became the seventh Blues player to be dismissed in the Premier League this season, receiving two quick-fire second-half bookings at the Emirates Stadium.
Neto’s 70th-minute sending off, which sees the 25-year-old miss Wednesday evening’s trip to Aston Villa through suspension, marked Chelsea’s ninth red card across all competitions this term.
"It needs to improve," head coach Rosenior stated regarding the persistent discipline issues.
"My job is to create a culture of accountability, where if you make a mistake it’s OK, you hold your hands up and make sure it doesn’t happen again. But you have to hold your hands up to the original mistake.
“If I make a wrong team selection or I get something wrong, my job is to be accountable, and it’s the same for my players in that moment."
Neto’s dismissal came just a week after teammate Wesley Fofana was also sent off in a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley.
With 10 games remaining in the season, Chelsea are now only two red cards shy of equalling the Premier League record for a single campaign.
The incident saw Neto first talk his way into referee Darren England’s notebook while protesting Jurrien Timber’s winning goal in north London, before scything down Gunners forward Gabriel Martinelli just four minutes later.
When questioned about responsibility for on-pitch discipline, Rosenior replied: "You need team-mates to help but it comes down to yourself as well. Pedro has apologised to the group. We miss him for Wednesday (against Villa).
“I just need to see an improvement in the behaviour now. It’s not just Pedro. People speak about dissent; we’ve had needless bookings in terms of fouls.
“If we are to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make a conscious step now to make sure it doesn’t happen again."
Chelsea currently languish at the bottom of the Premier League fair play table, having finished second-bottom last season under Enzo Maresca and dead last the year before during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure.
Reflecting on the Arsenal loss as a "missed opportunity," Rosenior elaborated on his approach to remedy the disciplinary problems: "Sometimes it’s not (using) a stick, it’s showing what the value of not having a red card is.
“If you look at our stats when we have 11 men on the pitch, before my job here and after my job here, our percentage chance of winning goes through the roof, so that needs to be motivation in itself to make sure we stay disciplined in key moments.
“Reacting to setbacks – sometimes a setback is giving the ball away, sometimes a setback is a referee making a decision you disagree with – in that moment you have to react positively and think of the next thing.
“I can’t afford to go through a season every two games or every three games with a red card, it’s not possible. I need to adjust my team selection based on who’s showing those capabilities."
In positive news for the club, Cole Palmer is expected to feature at Villa Park after recovering from a knock sustained against Arsenal, while Marc Cucurella is pushing for a return following three games out with a hamstring injury.