Despite Chelsea's discipline problems, coach Enzo Maresca is happy if the team mirrors his personality.

The Blues got seven red cards this season. One was for Maresca, who's getting his second touchline ban against Aston Villa on Saturday because of yellow cards piling up.

Some dismissals really hurt, like Trevoh Chalobah and Robert Sanchez in losses to Brighton and Manchester United. Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro, and Liam Delap also got suspended.

Moises Caicedo's three-game ban after getting sent off against Arsenal in November hit Chelsea hard. Their midfield really missed who you could say was their best player this season.

The team's trouble with discipline didn't stop in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Saturday. Sanchez got a yellow card just seven minutes in for arguing about a call, and Maresca picked up his third warning of the season, leading to his ban.

The Italian coach has been really defending his squad during a tough month.

The club showed me a media comment today that said the team is like the manager, he said. I'm happy about that because of how the team is playing. We're the youngest squad in the league. We have to let them make some mistakes as they grow.

Yeah, we have yellow cards and some red cards, but I like to look at each situation differently.

Villa, Chelsea's opponents, have won 11 of their last 12 league games and 10 straight in all competitions. They've climbed to third place and are now seen as consistent after a rough start.

Unai Emery's team didn't win any of their first five league matches, and it took until the 67th minute of their fifth game at Sunderland for them to score. But they've been great since then.

Chelsea, on the other hand, has been up and down. They impressed in wins against Liverpool and Barcelona, but lost at home to Sunderland and fell apart at Leeds.

"(Being consistent) is what we need to work on," Maresca said. Winning 10 in a row in the league is really tough.

Maresca said he has a good relationship with Captain Reece James, pointing to the Christmas gift his captain sent.

You always remember the last thing. Reece sent me a great bottle of wine (on Tuesday).

Still, the England player has a way to go before being as respected as Maresca's favourite player he's coached.

"I really think Jamie Vardy is one of the best strikers in England," said Maresca, who coached Vardy for a season at Leicester. I think Jamie is a great player and a great guy. He's got a lot of heart.

Cole Palmer's injuries have really messed with Chelsea's game this year. He's back in shape now, but the club's being extra careful not to rush him. They did that before, and he got hurt again, so playing it safe makes sense.

Still, Chelsea needs their star player out there as much as they can, especially for the important matches. The one coming up against Aston Villa is definitely a biggie.

Right now, Aston Villa is on fire in the Premier League. If Chelsea wants to win this weekend, they need Palmer to play great. We've seen parts of that, but it's no shock he hasn't been at his best all the time since this season has been a pain for him.

Here's some good news about Palmer's health! It sounds like he can now play a full game. Enzo Maresca said, based on a story in the Independent:

I reckon he (Palmer) can go for 90 minutes.

Usually, players work up to that: 45 minutes, then one hour, then 70.

He already played an hour against Everton and over 70 against Newcastle, so he's getting there.

Great news about Cole Palmer before Chelsea plays Aston Villa!

Of course, just because Palmer can play 90 minutes doesn't mean he should go back to playing full games all the time like before. They still need to watch his playing time.

It's also good to remember that Palmer's groin has been a problem on and off. If he pushes too hard, he could end up injured again for the third time this season, and that's something Chelsea really doesn't need.

Fingers crossed that Palmer shows what he's got against Aston Villa! Some people are saying that Morgan Rogers is better than him now. Maybe it's time for Palmer to remind everyone how good he can be when he's at his best.