“Since he’s not giving the fans what they need in that midfield, I’ve decided to bench him till he improves”: Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has made his final decision on the permanent starter between Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia

This November edition, which is approximately one-quarter of the way through the new season, is an ideal opportunity to evaluate a player’s progress.

Romeo Lavia is one player whose development we have been captivated by throughout the new season. This second season is truly his debut at Chelsea, as he was unable to participate in all but a few minutes of his first year due to injury.

Lavia’s reputation only increased during his absence, a phenomenon that is common among injured players, particularly those who are playing for struggling teams. And he received an abundance of accolades for his impressive performances in the initial few games he has participated in since his return.

His partnership with Moises Caicedo has garnered widespread admiration, and we have previously discussed how it appears to have elevated Caicedo’s playing abilities. Despite the political complexities of Enzo Maresca’s decision, it has been sufficient to remove £100 million player Enzo Fernandez from the team.

But the first anti-Lavia grumblings were heard during the game against Arsenal at the weekend, as our midfield once again appeared to be devoid of creativity. If Lavia were a genuine ball-winning machine, that trade would be beneficial; however, many would contend that his defensive capabilities have been overestimated.

In order to justify his selection, Romeo Lavia requires additional offensive produce.

This season, Lavia has only played 338 minutes, while Caicedo has played 975 minutes. This discrepancy must be considered. Nevertheless, this is sufficient to obtain a quality set of data.

The primary ball-winning factor in Chelsea’s team is Caicedo, while Lavia is purportedly more of a facilitator. However, Caicedo executes 53.1 passes with an 88.4% success rate and has 0.8 significant passes per game. The same critical passes are used by Lavia, but they only play 29.8 minutes per game.

He is taking fewer risks, but his accuracy is higher: Caicedo has received 2 assists from them, in addition to playing 2.1 long balls and 0.3 through balls per game. Lavia has yet to play a through ball and has only played 0.8 long balls, at least according to WhoScored’s definition.