Chelsea still have four friendly matches left in pre-season to build fitness and work on tactical plans under Mauricio Pochettino.
Our message to the Blues head coach is to try out a new-look partnership of Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill.
Chelsea have so many talented centre-halves on the books right now, but the current injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile mean they risk starting the 2023/24 campaign a bit light in that area of the pitch.
We feel like Pochetino has the solution right in front of him already, though.
In our view, the thought of a Silva-Colwill combination at the heart of Chelsea’s defence is very exciting.
It’s the type of centre-back partnership that could be amazing if it clicks into gear, so now is the time during pre-season to test that theory out.
Silva, who’s now 38, won’t be able to continue playing forever. But if you watched Chelsea last season, you’ll know the veteran defender is one of the only players in the squad who didn’t allow their own standards to dramatically slip.
As for Colwill, he’s now joined up with the Blues group for the pre-season tour in the United States. The 20-year-old is at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to experience, but we think there could be a perfect blend alongside a mentor like Silva.
Silva has been an imperious 1v1 defender for years. He now uses very bit of experience to his advantage to keep impressing in the Premier League, too.
Meanwhile, Colwill is the young and fresh centre-back on the block that Chelsea simply must find room for in the starting line-up. He must be on cloud right now after winning the Under-21s European Championship with England and doing so well on loan at Brighton last season.
We feel it’s a combination with the perfect mix of know-how and youthfulness to be a massive hit next season.
In particular, the duo are both superb ball-playing centre-backs that would give Pochettino’s team the best chance to play out successfully from the back.
OptaJoe previously shared on Twitter that Silva (fifth) and Colwill (first) both ranked among the top five central defenders in the Premier League for the most progressive passes per 90 minutes in the 2022/23 campaign.