The time had come to ask Mauricio Pochettino the question that has been on many Chelsea followers’ minds: why does he keep playing Levi Colwill at left-back?
Colwill looked rather uncomfortable again in the position against Middlesbrough. Chelsea lost 1-0 with the winning goal coming from a cross by Isaiah Jones after he had got the better of the 20-year-old, not for the first time, down the home side’s right flank.
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Following the factor raised via The Athletic in the post-match press conference, Pochettino explained: “I think we would all agree that Levi is a young player who can play in other positions. In the last game (against Preston), he played as a centre-back with Axel (Disasi). Today we play against Thiago (Silva) with Axel (Disasi).
“We talk a lot. I think it’s up to him to enjoy the Premier League with Chelsea betting there. I think it will help him be a better player and, at the end of the day, he will feel the competition. “.
“I don’t like to compare myself to any other player, but you can find similarities with other clubs that point to players who can play in central defence or full-back. Listen, for me, Levi is having a season. Play in the middle. “defender or full-back and is a player for the future of Chelsea. Right now, when you’re not winning, when you’re suffering (and we’re a young team with young players), they want to be informed and grow in the competition. .
The Chelsea head coach is right to recommend that he needs Colwill in that role, but it’s still very strange to constantly play with one of England’s most productive young centre-backs elsewhere.
According to football statistic website Fbref, just six of his 25 appearances this season have been as a central defender (his substitute role against Blackburn in the Carabao Cup should count as a seventh but is not accounted for on the site). There are another five listed as CB/LB, which reflected how Pochettino — particularly early in the season — would have Chelsea line up with three at the back while in possession, but switched to a four when the opponents had the ball. It was Colwill who occupied the left-hand side though in each system.
By contrast, 21 of his 24 loan appearances at Brighton last season were as a centre-back (just one outing at left-back), while in his first loan spell from Chelsea to Huddersfield in 2021-22, he operated in midfield. 31 times in 32 games (The Intruder shows him operating as a centre-back/winger against Bristol City)
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That’s not to say Colwill has been a sadness every time he’s had surgery as a Chelsea left-back, but you can feel his discomfort. Defensively, his pace, even if Colwill is slow, is more tested and his passes via the line are less reliable as he is limited by his proximity to the touchline. He also can’t offer much attacking risk on the wing, as indicated by his only help this season.
Colwill was refreshingly right in an interview on the club’s website talking about all of this last week and intends for it to be a short-term move. He said: “Obviously, I’m playing another position, everybody knows I’m a centre-back. “-back – However, I’m looking to help the team and be informed as much as I can to help myself in the long run. There have been some clever moments and I’m happy to continue to inform myself for the long haul when I go. Back to central defence.
“In terms of one-on-one defence, as a full-back you are very exposed to the winger. When you’re in central defence, you have players around you and you can slow them down. So it’s been difficult.
“Another thing would be where you get the ball, because most of the time you get it on the line. In the middle, when I have the ball, I’m the stage and I can break the lines and launch attacks. As a full-back, it’s more complicated because you have the full-back in front, the centre-back next to you or the midfielder. Those are your options.
Middlesbrough felt Colwill’s fear from the first minute. A clumsy backward header allowed Emmanuel Latte Lath to take a quick shot on goal and had VAR been operational, it could have led to a penalty due to Disasi’s tackle on the Middlesbrough striker in the box.
The incident emboldened Middlesbrough fans and inflamed Chelsea with uncertainty from the start of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. In the 30th minute, Colwill slipped and, in his panic to make amends, took Jones off and booked.
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Soon after, the English foreigner had the chance to pass the ball over the line, but before he could do so, he cleared the ball for a throw-in and booed the home crowd.
So when Jones was given the best option to install Hayden Hackney – although Moisés Caicedo has to share the responsibility for allowing Hackney to finish the area – it wasn’t a huge surprise. To his credit, Colwill played an hour into reserve. and he held his ground to avoid a second, but it’s one of the only positives to remember.
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 9, 2024
With Ian Maatsen now in Germany to finish a loan at Borussia Dortmund, Colwill’s chances of playing more inside have diminished further, although Pochettino obviously did not agree with the Dutch under-21 team to work in his favored left-back role. anyway. (Only two of his 15 appearances under Pochettino have been at left back).
Recognised senior left-back Ben Chilwell has returned to training after a serious hamstring strain, but his injury record over the past two years does not inspire confidence he can be a first-team regular at the moment. Besides, he was played ahead of Colwill when fully fit at the beginning of the campaign. Meanwhile, another option — Marc Cucurella — is expected to be ruled out for another couple of months with an ankle injury.
The other factor for Colwill is that Pochettino obviously wants to pick veteran Thiago Silva to get much-needed experience in a young team and prefers Disasi, more often than not, to be alongside the Brazilian.
For Colwill, it’s better to play as a left-back than not to play. Pochettino has also shown his help in some other way by naming him captain twice, which is a remarkable achievement in the academy player’s first crusade with the senior national team.
But it’s hard for Chelsea to see the most productive in Colwill until he plays where he feels he belongs.
(Top photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)