Against Brighton on Sunday, our skipper was sent off for two bookable offences for the second game running. Both Conor Gallagher’s yellows were for fouls, but a week earlier at Newcastle, Reece James picked up his first card of the afternoon for talking back to the referee.

That is one of seven yellow cards we have received this season for dissent. Add in seven shown for timewasting, five for arguing with opposition players, and one for not retreating at an opposition free-kick, and you can start to see why Pochettino is frustrated.

He has addressed the issue ahead of today’s trip to Old Trafford, with specific reference to kicking the ball away.

‘We were talking in the meeting and I showed the players clips of the yellow cards,’ Pochettino said.

‘There have been too many. The rules have changed this season. We touch the ball from here to there and get too many yellow cards. That is a tic we need to change. We need to be clever.

‘You upset the referee and you get a yellow card, and then in an action that can happen during a game, you can receive another yellow card. We have received too many yellow cards like this.

‘We were talking about Nico Jackson and the yellow cards were for complaining to the referee. The opponent made the foul, but didn’t receive a yellow card. You complain why not, and you get a yellow card. We need to be clever in improving this area because we cannot be silly and repeat the same mistakes.’

Pochettino does not necessarily agree with the stricter rules brought in this season, but recognises the referee’s need to enforce them on the pitch. He also thinks the use of VAR this season has heightened the players’ feelings during games.

Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling are the two Chelsea players currently walking a disciplinary tightrope, with a yellow tonight ruling them out of Goodison Park on Sunday. The head coach refused to put our indiscipline down to the youthful nature of our squad.

‘Sterling got a yellow card like this [at Newcastle], he’s not young. Reece James and Gallagher are experienced. It’s not only Nico, it can be Palmer or Malo Gusto. We have all made a mistake. It’s difficult to understand this rule, but now the Premier League want to apply it.

‘When I played football, if you made a foul and the opponent wanted to take the free-kick quickly, you would touch the ball [away]. Even with your friends it would happen, it’s a tic. It’s difficult to change, we need time to do this.’