Chelsea fans await the end of the international break with bated breath in the hopes all of their stars return unscathed by injuries, but one of their brightest young talents appears to have shone in a slightly new role for his country.
Chelsea players on international duty
The Blues have a whole host of stars jetting off around the globe to play for their nations this week, with Enzo Maresca sure to be watching from behind the sofa ahead of a crucial run of winnable fixtures coming up for his side.
Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures | Position in the table |
Bournemouth (away) | 8th |
West Ham (away) | 13th |
Brighton (home) | 3rd |
Nottingham Forest (home) | 9th |
Liverpool (away) | 2nd |
If they can go into that Liverpool trip with at least three wins under their belt from the previous four matches, the positivity will be flowing around Stamford Bridge, but the first port of call is to escape the international break with a fully fit squad.
Wesley Fofana, Cole Palmer and Omari Kellyman all withdrew from their call-ups before the two-week interval, while the likes of Levi Colwill, Pedro Neto, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez have all started for their countries so far this break.
Colwill earned his England spot after starting all three of the Blues’ Premier League fixtures thus far, and was handed a unique role in Lee Carsley’s England set-up against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
Carsley played a back four but allowed Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold to roam forward freely, effectively turning Colwill’s role into that of both a centre-back and a left-back, with the Three Lions transforming into a back three in possession.
Gareth Southgate’s full-back decisions were the subject of much debate before his departure from the England set-up, as the former 54 year-old shoved Alexander-Arnold into midfield while struggling to find a solution to Luke Shaw’s injury woes at left-back, often turning to natural right-back Kieran Trippier in the role.
Colwill, who of course has played as both an out and out centre-back and on the left for Chelsea, therefore seems a perfect fit to slot in on the left and become a back three when Liverpool’s playmaker ventures central and further forward, and the national press certainly thought so against Ireland, as shared by The Chelsea Chronicle.
“Adapted well to his hybrid role as England switched to a back three in possession. Gave the defence a nice balance and looked assured on the ball.” – The Guardian
“Given the role of makeshift full-back, the Chelsea central defender might just prove to be a solution to England’s left-sided problems with Luke Shaw injured and Ben Chilwell out of favour. Cool, calm and composed.” – The Telegraph
Whether Maresca ever opts to go for a similar style in West London remains to be seen – perhaps Reece James’ return could see an identical set-up with the skipper taking up Alexander-Arnold’s England role given his own attacking abilities – but one thing is for sure, the Blues were right to slap a £100m price tag on Colwill when suitors came calling this summer.
