Three Levi Colwill questions need to be asked as Enzo Maresca faces tough Chelsea decision

The 2024/25 season started so well for Chelsea and Levi Colwill was an enormous part of that.

The 22-year-old defender spent the majority of the 2023/24 season being used as a left-back by Mauricio Pochettino and while he was fine there, you did feel as if his talents were wasted in an unnatural position. Speaking exclusively to football.london last term, the England international explained how he was happy to help the side but always felt as if his natural position was at the heart of the defence.

There has been clarity from Enzo Maresca since the Italian was appointed as Pochettino's successor: he very much sees Colwill as a central defender. An integral one, too. Only Moises Caicedo (2,612), Cole Palmer (2,588), Marc Cucurella (2,549) and Enzo Fernandez (2,340) have played more minutes in all competitions for Chelsea this season than Colwill (2,295).

Colwill has completed the full 90 minutes in all but two Premier League games this season - one of them where he was rested at Southampton and the other one, the victory over Wolves in January, he was missing with a minor knock. Incidentally, it has been ever since his return from that slight injury where the defender's form has started to dip.

Where has this form come from?

It started at Manchester City. Colwill was way off his brilliant best at the Etihad Stadium as the Blues were defeated 3-1 in January. The Cobham graduate was wildly out of position for City's first goal, the equaliser, and he was bullied by Erling Haaland for the Phil Foden's strike late on.

Next time out, at home to West Ham United, Chelsea went a goal down in the first half and Colwill was at fault as Jarrod Bowen found the back of the net in front of the Matthew Harding Stand. Wrestling with Mohammed Kudus on the right wing, Colwill came out worse and Bowen was then allowed to bear down and slot the ball into the back of the net at the beginning of February.

In the Premier League, Colwill has made three individual errors leading to shots this season, with only Robert Sanchez (seven, staggeringly), Fernandez (four) and Malo Gusto (also four) having made more. His aforementioned mistake for Bowen's goal is, at the point of writing, his only mistake that led directly to the opposition taking advantage.

Next time out at Brighton in the league, Colwill had an altercation with Danny Welbeck that left the Chelsea defender on the floor. He was appealing for a foul, but it was not - the referee got it right. But the worst bit about it was the defender just jogging back and showing no desire.

Colwill did score last time out in the top-flight against Southampton and was very comfortable that night against a poor, poor Saints side. However, he had more questions asked of him in the win against Copenhagen on Thursday after leaving a free header for Gabriel Pereira. A header that let the Danes back into the two-legged Conference League tie.

His bad run of form has come at a time where the defence has been unsettled in terms of personnel. With injuries to the likes of Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, Maresca has been chopping and changing his defensive line in order to try and find a solution. Put it this way, since the turn of the year, Colwill has played eight times for the Blues in all competitions and has been involved in three different centre-back partnerships.

Is there need for genuine concern?

There has to be a slight bit of concern every time a player has a run like this but in the long-term, it should not be too much of a worry for Chelsea and Colwill. He has shown, particularly at the start of the season, just why he is so highly regarded by those inside the club, but also elsewhere. football.london understands the Blues rejected a big-money approach from a top European club who were desperate to sign the England international.

With Colwill, it is clear to see - particularly when you are watching the games live at the stadium - he is a genuine leader out there. At 22, he is taking up a leadership role beyond his years but such is the way with this young Chelsea squad, he almost has to. He wears his heart on his sleeve and at times, that has caused problems for the defender, who has been involved in a few scraps on the pitch.

Maresca, though, sees Colwill as part of the leadership group at Chelsea and the defender, the more and more he grows with experience, is a potential future captain. Speaking in January, the head coach said this on Colwill: "I can see the leader day by day, since we started in pre-season, something that he can improve in terms of leadership. He is improving a lot.

"Levi, even if he is not wearing the armband, he is one of the captains and in the future, he could be a captain of this club. Since we started, he is improving a lot."

Will Fofana's return help Colwill?

Absolutely. It is not a coincidence that since Fofana's injury on December 1, Colwill's form has suffered. The two were showing signs of forming a really exciting partnership at the back and Maresca clearly sees the duo as a massive part of his plans at Stamford Bridge.

Up until he suffered a hamstring problem over three months ago, Fofana played 12 of Chelsea's first 13 Premier League matches and they were all alongside Colwill. In that time, the Blues conceded 12 goals - on average, less than a goal a game. Post-Fofana's injury, Chelsea shipped 22 goals in 13 league games. Almost two goals per game.

Let's not get it twisted: Colwill will not become a world-beater with Fofana next to him but he will be a hell of a lot better. The balance is so much better when the two are together at the heart of the Chelsea defence but it is about finding a way to keep the two fit and on the pitch next to one another.

Hopefully Colwill can find his feet again with Fofana set to be named in the squad for the second successive league match on Sunday as Chelsea welcome Leicester City, the Frenchman's former club, to Stamford Bridge. With Badiashile now back fit, Maresca may face a tough decision if Colwill's form continues to be poor.

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Chelsea ended the 2023/24 Premier League season on a high, but it is never quiet at Stamford Bridge and the summer looks set to be one full of news, with question marks over Mauricio Pochettino's future at the club and plenty of talk around transfers.

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