Anton Ferdinand says he expects Chelsea defender Levi Colwill to be targeted by opponents after his show of ill-discipline during the 4-1 win over Spurs on Monday night.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino was forced into substituting the 20-year-old at half-time, after he was booked for a confrontation with Pape Sarr, and, speaking to FIVE, Ferdinand claims that the centre-back will have to get used to opposing teams trying to rile him up:

“Mark my words, players watching that will target him now, fact. ‘We can get at him, we can wind him up.’ That’s going to start happening, so he’s going to need to mature very, very quickly.”

The Tottenham game was arguably Colwill’s worst match in a Chelsea shirt so far. He was culpable for Dejan Kulusevski’s goal, having turned his back and allowed the ball to deflect off him and into the back of his own net.

The altercation with Sarr was also needless, as Spurs were already down to ten men at the time, following the straight red shown to Cristian Romero. Pochettino was correct to hook him at the break to avoid the risk of the player being sent off too.

It was out of character from Colwill

Considering that it was the centre-half’s first booking of the season on Monday, there is an argument to say that the incident at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a one-off.

Colwill has looked calm and composed during the vast majority of his time on the field this season so fans shouldn’t be too concerned that he will blow his top at any given moment.

Chelsea’s rivals will test the player’s temperament

Ferdinand is right to say, though, that losing your temper in such a way will give opponents ideas about how to get into Colwill’s head.

Forwards are always looking for ways to get an edge on defenders, and Colwill does need to ensure he keeps his cool if he is provoked in the future.