Newcastle United Tear Chelsea To Shreds At St.James Park! (Newcastle 4 Chelsea 1)
Eddie Howe and Newcastle pore ice on simmering young Chelsea
Reed James underscores an indisciplined Chelsea performance with a Red card
Pochettino reads riot act on young blues
Chelsea's thrashing at St. James is a stark reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
By Udo Anyanwu |November 25, 2023
“We didn't show we were playing for something important...we cannot miss the opportunity to show ourselves at our best”
- Mauricio Pochettino
It was as brutal as it gets in the Premier League. Chelsea were ruthlessly taught a footballing lesson by a resurgent Newcastle. Injury-ravaged is an understatement for a team with 12-13 players sidelined. You wouldn't have believed it from the way Newcastle picked Chelsea apart. They put an emphatic 4 goals past a hapless and defenseless Robert Sanchez in goal.
The game started well enough for Chelsea. They showed some slick passing early on. Newcastle's intent was never in doubt. They came to win injuries or not. It was an excellent strategy from Eddie Howe and Newcastle. They were relentless in driving at the heart of the Chelsea defense time and again.
Newcastle struck gold in the 13th minute with Alexander Isak's quick turn to slot home from 17-year-old Jamie Miley's incisive pass. Raheem Sterling did well to strike back for Chelsea with an inch-perfect free kick that caught goalkeeper Nick Pope flatfooted. The rest of the half was riddled with errors and missed opportunities on both sides. It was 1-1 at halftime. The game was balancing on a knife edge.
Newcastle Powers Away
Newcastle came back for the second half with a determination to finish the job. Chelsea in contrast seemed error-prone and lost for ideas. Long balls played deep by Newcastle didn't help the Chelsea cause. Lascelles rose high and unmarked to head home giving Newcastle the lead. The home crowd went into a frenzy. Chelsea would have to dig deep and fashion a comeback as they had done against Spurs and Man City.
It was not to be. Chealea's defense had been vulnerable all afternoon. Thiago Silva picked the worst time to make a rare costly mistake. Fellow Brazilian Joelinton wasted no time in pouncing on a weak back pass to smash home past Robert Sanchez. Newcastle were firmly in control at 3-1. It got worse when captain Reece James was sent off for an unnecessary foul on Anthony Gordon. Gordon would put the last miserable nail in Chelsea's coffin by rounding Benoit Badiashile to score Newcastle's 4th goal.
A Long Way To Go For Chelsea
After the game, a visibly frustrated Maricio Pochettini didn't pull punches in openly criticizing the poor performance. He was quick to put responsibility on the entire team to find a way out.
"We spoke in the dressing room after the game to reflect and we need to sleep on this one and get back to work as soon as possible."
- Mauricio Pochettino
The intensity levels dropped noticeably in the second half. Several players were off-pace. The lack of maturity and discipline was glaring. The players committed multiple and needless fouls. The error rate was high and there was no conviction fighting for second balls. Certainly, the team has made remarkable progress in the last few games. The win at Spurs and the draw against champions City at home are evidence. The pieces of the Chelsea puzzle are there. Now it's time to put it all together.
Newcastle United Prepare To Tear Chelsea To Shreds At St.James Park
Back-to-back losses put Eddie Howe under pressure to beat Chelsea
Tactical analysis of how Newcastle will play
How Chelsea can win by replicating recent tactics
By Udo Anyanwu | November 24, 2023
Newcastle United Attacker Callum Wilson
"We all know that St. James Park with that crowd behind you has been a brilliant fortress..." - Eddie Howe
Newcastle United prepares for Saturday's Premier League showdown with Chelsea on the back of two miserable defeats. The most recent was an away loss to Bournemouth in the premier league while a defeat against Dortmund puts their Champions League group qualification hopes in the balance.
Newcastle have been plagued by injuries this season. If you think Chelsea has injury problems then you've not been following Newcastle. Chelsea has had 8 players ruled out but Newcastle has a whopping 13 players out (yes, you heard that right).
Newcastle's Tactical Approach
Eddie Howe is under serious pressure. The honeymoon phase after last year's outrageous success in qualifying for the Champions League. is over. With two back-to-back defeats, Eddie Howe cannot afford any more slips. He will look to beat Chelsea tomorrow (and PSG next week) to restore confidence in his leadership.
Tactics for playing against Chelsea are clear. Big teams will ignore it because they want to attack and win games. Take Man City for instance. Pep Guardiola must have known that Chelsea struggled against low-block teams. He opted instead to follow his script, trusting in his team's ability to win. Eddie Howe could make the same mistake.
The Danger For Chelsea
Newcastle's injury-ravaged team still has one piece intact: Kieran Trippier. Most of the team's attacks will be initiated from his full-back position as he looks to push the team forward from the right. The attacking players in front of him will look to do the damage. It could be Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, or Miguel Almiron.
Newcastle has been among the Premier League's best-attacking sides in almost all metrics from chances created to shots-on-target. This is a team capable of hurti9ng anybody. Defensively they've shown vulnerability. We saw this against Bournemouth. Dan Burn remains out but Tino Livramento is likely to replace Lewis Hall who is ineligible to play.
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The Chelsea Master Plan
There are two things you never change. You don't change a winning formula and you never change a winning team. Chelsea's path to an unlikely success at St James Park lies in replicating its performance against Man City. In that game, Chelsea were brilliant in the transition, tearing through Man City's defense with surprising ease.
Kieran Trippier will leave a lot of spaces behind as he progresses forward. This creates excellent opportunities for Raheem Sterling on the counter. Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson must be clinical in front of goal. Conor Gallagher's ability to create turnovers and disrupt play will be vital. St. James Park has been a fortress but even the most fortified fortresses can be breached. Chelsea looks in prime shape to do that on Saturday.
Rejuvenated Chelsea Face Injury Ravaged Newcastle At St.James Park
Chelsea Players return from the International break
Nkunku and Lavia Back In Training
Reece James is fit and ready to play
Pochettino gets Collwill and Ghusto boost
By Udo Anyanwu | Nov 23, 2023
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Chelsea return to League action this Saturday with a potential banana peel game away to injury-hit Newcastle United at St James Park
Chelsea are back! The excitement is buzzing again after the dramatic game against Manchester City. This weekend they play another potential blockbuster away at Newcastle, a team in the throes of a major injury crisis. Coach Eddie Howe has had a disastrous few weeks in terms of injuries. Now he must somehow stitch together a team to face Chelsea.
Before the break, Chelsea played a breathtaking 4-4 classic at Stamford Bridge against treble-winning defending champions Manchester City. Many of the pieces in Pochettino's puzzle are finally falling into place. Forward Raheem Sterling played like a man on fire for the full 90. But he wasn't allowed to steal the show as Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, and Reece James all put in 5-star performances.
Pochettino will have every cause to arrive at Newcastle with confidence. His player returned from International practically unscathed. Enzo Fernandez was world-class in Argentina's win away against Brazil. Malo Ghusto and Levi Colwill survive injury scares and are in training. Reece James was passed over by England and so is fully rested. It's unclear if Nicholas Jackson can return in time from duty with Senegal. Chris Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are yet to feature this season but are back in training.
Newcastle under coach Eddie Howe come off the back of 2 devastating losses to Borrusia Dortmund and Bournemouth. This is a team with an injury list that looks more like a shopping list. Raul Almiron, Isak, Target, Barnes, Burn, and Callum Wilson are all out with injuries. In their last outing against Bournemouth Newcastle was outplayed and overwhelmed in a 2-0 defeat. Goalkeeper Nick Pope kept the scorelines respectable with an excellent display.
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In these circumstances, Chelsea would be expected to put Newcastle to the sword. However, they have had a woeful record this season against teams that park the bus. It's hard to see Newcastle coming out with all guns blazing like City or Spurs. Coach Eddie Howe could be tempted to be more pragmatic especially as Newcastle host PSG in a must-win Champions League game on Tuesday. If that's the case this game could be another banana peel to trip up Pochettino's roaring young lions.
Chelsea is likely to line in Pochettino's favoured 4-3-3 formation. In defense, Axel Disasi should partner Thiago Silva unless Pochettino's decides to give Benoit Badiashile a run. Reece James and Cucurella are expected in full-back positions. The midfield picks itself with Caicedo, Enzo, and Conor Gallagher. Nicholas Jackson may be rested with Sterling, Mudryk, and Cole Palmer playing as false 9. It's a formula that worked to perfection in the past and hopeful it can do the magic against Newcastle on Saturday.
Chelsea Football Club ended its 3-year shirt sponsorship deal with UK Telecoms giant "3" whicfh it agreed to back in 2020. The deal was worth a reported $40 million per year. Along with the deal came a partnership agreement to have a 5G network enabled at Stamford Bridge. The shirt deal covered the men, women, and academy teams. "3" had experienced success as the UK's first 3G-only network and from there grew into a powerhouse as a leading 5G spectrum holder.
The deal was threatened briefly by UK sanctions on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich for his ties to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It was restored with the sale of Chelsea to a consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, the deal with "3" elapsed, and Infinite Athlete emerged as the front-runner for the new shirt sponsorship deal. Infinite Athlete is an American cutting-edge sports technology and data firm with close ties to Behdad Eghbali whose Clearlake has a significant stake. Infinite Athlete was formed in 2023 from a merger between sports tech powerhouses Silverlake and Tempus Ex Machina.
Tempus Ex had earlier signed a 7-year deal in 2022 deal with Chelsea to develop an AI-powered user experience for its fans. So the ties between Chelsea and Infinite Athlete run deep. Both parties will be relieved that the shirt sponsorship deal has been approved by the FA and Chelsea's sponsor-less jersey run can come to an end.
Although details are still sketchy and have not been fully released to the public it is expected that the deal with Infinite Athlete will be a rolling contract and financially at par with the previous agreement with "3" which includes a fee of around $40 million a year. The deal would cover men, women, and academy teams.
Infinite Athlete is a product of the strategic merger of two companies namely Silverlake a sports data and technology solutions investment firm and Tempus Ex Machina which develops AI-driven technology to power innovative user sports experiences using data and video of live events. Through affiliate Biocore it has also been at the forefront of injury detection software. On paper, this merger is a technological blockbuster that will hopefully provide long-term benefits beyond the club's shirt deal.
Chelsea faced significant challenges in securing a shirt sponsor most likely caused by initial sanctions imposed in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions imposed on former owner Roman Ambromavic. Former shirt sponsors "3" suspended their deal with Chelsea temporarily. Unfortunately, this didn't go down well with fans as they called out the telecoms firm demanding an end to the deal. The agreement was later restored allowing "3" to run out the full period of its contract. Apart from Infinite Athlete other early contenders for the shirt deal included Saudi Arabia Riyadh Air and two sports betting companies Kaiyun Sports and Stake which were rejected after backlash from Chelsea supporters for ethical issues with sports betting and gambling. It also appears that an approach was even made by an adult website, "My Club" which fell through for obvious reasons.
When compared to offers on the table Infinite Athlete appears to be the best fit. Chelsea and Infinite Athletes are in the early stages of their business model development. The two companies would also benefit from growing together in a symbiotic relationship which the shirt deal represents. Ties between Eghbalis Clearlake and Infinite Athlete ensure both parties continue to remain on the same page. Chelsea is also strategically positioned to benefit from Infinite Athletes sports technology both now and in the future.
The approval of Infinite Athlete by The FA will provide several long-term benefits. In addition to the existing agreements with Tempus Ex Machina, there are also possibilities of similar agreements for technology-based solutions that leverage the existing synergies of Chelsea and Infinite Athlete. This lines up excellently with Chelsea's desire to create a data-driven business model.
As good as it sounds the deal with Infinite Athlete unfortunately pales in significance to other shirt sponsorship deals across top football clubs in Europe. For instance, Juventus has a deal with Jeep valued at around €51 million. Manchester City has a long-standing relationship with Etihad. Its current deal is valued at about €55 million. PSG retains a lucrative deal with Qatar Air worth around €65 million and not surprisingly Real Madrid tops the charts with a deal worth a staggering €70 million with Fly Emirates.
Regardless Chelsea will still see its new shirt deal as another positive sign of progress. The challenges which culminated in the club's sale in 2022 cannot be underestimated. The ownership has done an excellent job by investing heavily in both players and human and material resources to set the club on a firm footing. The rewards from these investments are a good reason for optimism. The club has committed to long-term investments in every aspect of its operations. Only time will tell if these investments will yield the desired results
Regardless Chelsea will still see its's new shirt deal as another positive sign of progress. The challenges which culminated in the club's sale in 2022 cannot be underestimated. The ownership has done an excellent job by investing heavily in both players and human and material resources to set the club on a firm footing. The rewards from these investments are a good reason for optimism. The club has committed to long-term investments in every aspect of its operations. Only time will tell if these investments will yield the desired results.
(GK) Robert Sanchez - Overall he had a good performance. Commanded his box exceptionally well. However, it was clear trouble was cooking as he was coming into this fixture with a history of 1 or 2 serious passing errors every match. The warning signs have been there. His luck simply ran out. Rating 2.5/5
(LB) Marc Cucurella - Marc played in his natural LB role for the 1st time this season after playing some impressive games of late at right back. He now has played multiple games where he's been at a very high level. He did an excellent job of keeping one of the best players in the league, Bukayo Saka, in check most of the game and was excellentagainst him in 1vs1 duals. His dramatic improvement this season continues. Rating:4/5
(CB) Thiago Silva - Our maestro in defense enjoyed another excellent day at the office only undone by a moment of disastrously goofy play by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Throw in some blocks and headed clearances and Silva continues to defy the odds still playing like a youngster. His impact on the development of Disasi, Colwill, and other center-backs is evident. He should sign for another year already. What a phenomenal player.Rating:4/5
(CB) Levi Colwill - This is where we want to see Levi playing and now we can see why. It was incredibly bold of Pochettino to go with 2 CBs against Arsenal of all teams. Levi stepped up and showed us why he's so highly rated. Gabriel Jesus was kept marginally quiet all game long and barely had a sniff at goal. He also played some great passes from deep. Excellent performance. Rating: 4/5
(RB) Malo Ghusto - The young 19-year-old is set to give Reece James a run for his money at right back. He had an excellent game against Arsenal that was only marred by a split-second lapse in concentration which allowed Trossard to equalize. Despite this, he was excellent at both ends of the pitch supporting Raheem Sterling on the overlap or attacking from inside. Good performance. Rating: 3.5/5
(MF) Moises Caicedo - Moises Caicedo was immense and integral to the way Chelsea dominated the Arsenal midfield of Rice, Jorginho, and Odegaard. Strong defensively and slick in transition Caicedo is a class act. Who remembers his price tag? What a bargain! His partnership with Enzo looks ready to face any midfield in the world. Caicedo contributed massively to Arsenal being limited to just 6 attempts on goal before Sanchez's error gave them a lifeline. Against Man City, they had 15. Rating: 4/5
(MF) Enzo Fernandez - Enzo was part of a Chelsea midfield that outclassed Arsenal for the first 45 minutes. He was practically unplayable weaving passes and dictating Chelsea's play from deep. His excellent supporting cast of Caicedo and Gallagher are giving him a chance to express himself more with each game. Rating: 4/5
(MF) Conor Gallagher -Conor Gallagher is undoubtedly Chelsea's most improved player since last season. Against Arsenal, he possibly played his best game in Chelsea blue. It's becoming more clear why he gets picked ahead of more naturally gifted midfielders. His touch and passing have improved significantly and he continues to be a menace all across the pitch. Serious selection headaches are on the horizon which is not necessarily a bad thing for Chelsea right now. Rating: 4/5
Cole Palmer
(RW) Cole Palmer - Can we find more words to describe Cole Palmer? Something special is cooking at SW6 and this young man is at the centre of it. To be so composed at this level and to play the way he did yesterday, pulling the strings in midfield and attacking is something unique. He summed it all up with an untouchable penalty putting the icing on the Chelsea cake. Palmer had several excellent chances to score which he created out of almost nothing. And he's still warming up. Rating:4.5/5
(ST) Raheem Sterling - Raheem Sterling sometimes doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. In most of Chelsea's games this season he has been at the center of most good things driving Chelsea forward sometimes all by himself. He looks like he wants to prove a point this season and he's playing like it. He was a thorn in the flesh of Arsenal all game switching sides at random and popping up in dangerous positions all night long. Rating: 4/5
(LW) Mykhailo Mudryk - It's been many months and a bucket load of games but we are finally here. Mykhailo Mudryk is on the brink of becoming everything we suspected he could be. Some impatient onlookers feared he would never reach the lofty heights of greatness at least for Chelsea. But thank God for giving us a coach with the patience of Pochettino. He's giving this young man the platform to perform and express himself. And that goal? Yes, he meant it. And he is fully capable of that kind of wizardry. The excitement is growing. Rating: 4/5
Mykhailo Mudryk
Substitutes
Nicholas Jackson (for Mudryk) - Jackson came on to maintain the attacking momentum. Although he had a couple of fine chances to score including an opportunity where he was 1vs1 with Raya, was largely ineffective. He still needs to find his goal-scoring form from preseason. Rating: 2/5
Noni Madueke (for Sterling) - Noni came on for Raheem Sterling who had run himself into the ground. Noni's position on the left side was puzzling and to underline it he wasn't able to create anything of note. Rating: 2/5
Reece James (for Palmer) - Late substitute for an outstanding Cole Palmer with less than 10 minutes to play so had little impact on the game. Rating: N/A
Pochettino: It's been a long hard road for Mauricio Pochettino. He probably knew it wasn't going to be easy getting the youngest team in the premier league up and running in his first season in charge. He's already felt the pressure of being a Chelsea coach. Yesterday's display was by far the finest we've seen yet. The lineup was excellent considering the resources available and he set them up perfectly.
It was a shame Robert Sanchez had to set everything ablaze with a moment of sheer madness. If there was any question in Pochettino's decision making then it had to be the substitutions. After the first goal, you would have expected Pochettino to shore up the midfield or the defense. However, it's still a five-star display for Pochettino regardless. Rating: 4/5
Chelsea FC: It's still only October so we still have lots and lots of football to play. As Chelsea gets into a stretch of games against some good top 6 teams including both Manchester Clubs, Newcastle, and Spurs nothing short of excellence will suffice. It's going to be a real test for Pochettino and his young guns.
They've made an excellent start against Arsenal which suggests they have what it takes to hang with the best of them. The exciting part is that so many of Chelsea's top players such as Christoper Nkunku, Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Wesley Fofana are still on the injured list.
What is the real performance ceiling of this team? How much better can they get? No one knows. While some Chelsea fans are licking their lips it's a scary prospect for the rest of the Premier League.
It was an exciting summer of both incoming and outgoing transfers for Chelsea football club. In the process of players going in and out and like several others, Romeo Lavia was swept in by the whirlwind of Todd Boehly and Clearlake. And just like the others his transfer wasn’t lacking in drama.
The 19-year-old Belgian midfielder was snatched from under the noses of Liverpool FC despite their offer of £60m. The youngster insisted on going to Chelsea. He later explained his interest in Chelsea’s long-term project and his desire to follow in the footsteps of other great Chelsea midfielders. Chelsea closed the deal with relegated Southhampton for £58m.
Southhampton
Since his signing Lavia’s name has continued to reverberate in discussions and speculations on the strength of Chelsea’s midfield. This is even though he has been injured since the start of the season. He has become a legend already without kicking a football for the club (I’m being very sarcastic here) But there is a wealth of substance to Lavia’s reputation despite being 19 years of age with only 36 caps for Southampton last season.
Romeo Lavia first attracted the attention of English fans in 2020 when he moved from Belgian giants Anderlecht to Manchester City. Amid stiff competition from City’s plethora of midfield stars, Lavia got shipped off to struggling Southhampton for a fee of only £10.5m However the expectations were for Lavia to develop further with better opportunities and more playing time.
Lesley Ugochukwu
And develop he did. In the course of that one season at Southhampton Romeo Lavia cemented his positions as a regular starter and top talent. His solid eye-catching performances for Southhampton soon attracted attention from football pundits and fans alike. Ultimately the 19-year-old’s spectacular season couldn’t save Southampton. They were relegated but a star was born.
A New Midfielder
But what can we expect from a fully fit Romeo Lavia? His time at Southhampton clearly showed a player with excellent physical attributes who dominates the ball as a classic box-to-box and also contributes to the attacking phase of play. His quickness, dribbles, and dynamic movement mean he’ll provide goals, assists, interceptions, and tackles. In addition to this, he possesses the full bouquet of what you expect from an elite midfielder: creativity, tactical discipline, and technical skills.
Comparisons have been drawn with the likes of Sergio Busquet, Fernandinho, and Ngolo Kante. He has excellent ball control, vision, high energy, and a high work rate to compare with the very best midfielders. Mauricio Pochettino has described him as being the “perfect player” for Chelsea’s project.
Moises Caicedo
Mauricio Pochettino is yet to enjoy the benefit of a fully fit squad but on paper, he has an embarrassment of riches especially in midfield. Romeo Lavia will likely come into competition with 3 other young and talented midfielders Moises Caicedo, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Conor Gallagher. In an ideal scenario with all players fit let’s see how Lavia measures up against this gifted trio.
Lesley Ugochukwu
Lesley Ugochukwu is a French midfielder who also joined Chelsea in 2023 from Rennes for a reported £23.5m The tall and powerful Ugochukwu displays the characteristics of a modern defensive midfielder. In the few appearances he has had this season he’s displayed maturity and the ability to play deeper roles in midfield. Occasionally he pops up in advanced positions. While his strength and physicality are comparable to Lavia’s he lacks the technical depth and the range of passes.
It’s fair to say that Lesley Ugochukwu could be a year or two behind Lavia. He lacks the experience of playing consistently in the English league. If Lavia can be described as smooth, silky, and polished then Ugochukwu would definitely be a rough uncut version. It also appears that Ugochukwu is more capable of holding or defensive roles whereas Lavia can play almost anywhere in midfield which makes him a rival for both Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandes. Ugochwukwu is simply not there yet.
Enzo Fernandez
Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo on the other hand is a different creature. He is an absolute beast. But just like Lavia, he boasts of only one full season of solid football at Brighton and Hove from last season. He ended the season on a high with Roberto De Zerbi’s excellent side while receiving individual rave reviews from a string of spectacular performances.
The Ecuadorian became Chelsea’s 2nd most expensive signing after Enzo Fernandes and has a heavy load of expectations on his shoulders. So far he has been growing in stature with every after that horrendous first game, a dismal cameo against a rampant West Ham at London Stadium where he conceded a penalty late in the game. Since then he has been making steady progress. He’s been mostly solid and efficient deep in Chelsea’s midfield.
Lesley Ugochukwu in action
He probably poses the biggest threat to Lavia with his technical ability, ball-winning, and physicality. The one area where Lavia could have a distinct advantage is in the attacking phase as Lavia has shown that it’s an area where he can improve and excel even when playing in a poor team at Southhampton. It can only be imagined what his performances will be like when he’s surrounded by world-class players.
Conor Gallagher
It would be safe to say that recently Conor Gallagher has replaced Mason Mount as possibly Chelsea’s most polarizing player. Gallagher made his Chelsea debut only last year after returning from a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace where was a fan favorite and an integral part of Patrick Viera’s side. Similar to Mount, Gallagher is a homegrown talent having played at Chelsea since childhood.
Moises Caicedo
He is a solid all-weather box-to-box player reminiscent of the likes of Gennaro Gattuso (and who remembers Real Madrids Thomas Graveson?) He is a tenacious and energetic machine that’s versatile enough to play multiple roles in midfield. He’s also very adaptable and intelligent. His leadership qualities and old-school Chelsea fighting spirit were highlighted when he was given the captain’s band by Pochettino.
In comparison to Lavia, Gallagher lags in two distinct and significant areas: technical ability and creativity. He sorely lacks Lavia’s prime ability to progress the ball in midfield. While Gallagher may be the perfect utility player Lavia has displayed the smooth productivity to control a midfield all by himself and to deliver across the full spectrum of skills and abilities needed to become an elite midfielder.
Lots Of Options
Romeo Lavia
Chelsea is fortunate to have so many top-class midfielders. This is a radical shift from the last few years when the club felt lightweight in that area of the pitch despite the individual brilliance of the Ngolo twins. Frequent injuries in recent years have drastically limited their impact. Chelsea has had to improvise with the likes of Jorginho (who lacks defensive abilities), Kovacic (who lacks goals or assists), Havertz (who lacks…pretty much everything), and others. It’s safe to say that those days are gone.
When all the dust settles Romeo Lavia could be the crown jewel of Chelsea’s midfield. He may not be as defensively astute as Caicedo have the vision of Enzo or have the Duracell bunny stats of Conor Gallagher. However, he ranks high enough in every midfield metric to make a convincing argument that he will be Chelsea’s best midfielder come the end of the season. He remains on the injured list but fans already know there’s more to come at Chelsea. Its best-kept secret is yet to be unveiled.
So, what do you think? Is Romeo Lavia the best midfielder on Chelsea ‘s team list? Send me your comments. Would love to hear from you.
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