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Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media about Chelsea's discipline problem after Pedro Neto became the ninth Blues player to be sent off this season on Sunday
Liam Rosenior has warned his Chelsea squad that they need to clean up their act - or risk missing out on being selected.
Pedro Neto was shown two quick-fire yellow cards, one for dissent and the other for a cynical foul, in the second half of Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday evening. Neto's dismissal was the Blues' ninth of the season in all competitions and their second in as many matches.
In the immediate aftermath of the defeat at the Emirates Stadium, Rosenior conceded discipline is a "deep-lying" problem that predates him at the club, but something he and his staff desperately need to address. Less than 24 hours on from the defeat, Rosenior said that he will only pick players who are "showing an improvement" on the discipline front.
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"I think the first thing, you pick players who are showing that improvement," said Rosenior. "I can't afford to go for a season every two or three games with a red card. It is just not possible. I need to see improvement in that. I need to adjust my team selection based on who is showing those capabilities."
When asked how exactly he will get through to his players, Rosenior explained: "Sometimes our stick [to beat them with] is 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.
"That needs to be motivation in itself to make sure we stay disciplined in key moments. [It's about] 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. Then you have to think of the next thing. Those are the things that we have to go after in order for our discipline to improve."
Rosenior revealed that Neto, who will now miss Chelsea's crucial trip to Aston Villa on Wednesday night, apologised to his teammates after his dismissal on Sunday, but also insisted the problem is not only with the winger.
"Pedro has apologised to the group," said Rosenior. "We miss him for Wednesday. I just need to see an improvement in the behaviour now. It's not just Pedro.
"We have had bookings, people speaking about dissent. We have 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 does not happen again."
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