The unseen Chelsea change that gives them a fresh Europa League advantage as unwanted record looms

Discipline can come in many forms, so can maturity. They have not been words that many associate with Chelsea this season either way.

Mauricio Pochettino himself has called out the players — and reading between the lines also those above him in the hierarchy for the way the squad has been put together. He has lamented focus and desire, motivation and concentration. He has made no attempts to hide some of the negative aspects of his group.

Just weeks ago this came in the form of criticising them in the aftermath of a humiliating 5-0 loss to Arsenal. The bounceback since in a second-half turnaround against Aston Villa followed by comfortable wins in differing styles at home to Tottenham and West Ham have subsequently impressed the boss in more ways than one.

Now,with three games to go until the end of the season and a realistic chance to finish inside the top six, the full extent of how Chelsea have developed as a team has come to light. It's not entirely positive to point out, but they are on the brink of breaking a Premier League record this season.

Chelsea are just three bookings away from picking up the most yellow cards for a single team in a season. Their 98 from 35 games is the most in the division. It is double that of Manchester City, who have the least.

On top of this have been three red cards. Two of those were for second yellows and one for a tackle perceived to have been worthy of a red. Reece James has been sent off despite playing less than 500 minutes and eight matches with five starts. He was also banned for a game earlier in the season for a separate incident even though he wasn't in the matchday squad.

Chelsea have new secret weapon in Europa League race as Mauricio Pochettino undroppable now clear

Maurici