Mauricio Pochettino must now drop Conor Gallagher for Romeo Lavia after Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Belgian is yet to make his Chelsea debut following a £58m move from Southampton due to a lack of fitness, but he could be ready to face Bournemouth after the international break.
So, why must Mauricio Pochettino drop Conor Gallagher for Romeo Lavia? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, Chelsea conceded to Nottingham Forest on Saturday after a bit of miscommunication between Gallagher and Moises Caicedo.
The England international let the ball run through his legs towards the Ecuador international, who seemingly did not expect it.
Chelsea then lost possession just ahead of the backline – who were stretched due to this unexpected loss of possession – and Anthony Elanga took full advantage with a cool finish.
Chelsea were also hit on the break by Michail Antonio after losing the ball in a similar area away to West Ham, before the Jamaica international scored to put the Irons 2-1 ahead.
In our view, Lavia – who thrived in a No.6 role just ahead of the defence for Southampton last season – would stop these types of goals happening.
The Belgium international regularly took the ball from Southampton’s defenders in horrible areas, with opponents breathing down his neck.
However, Lavia was able to spin into space, or play a sensible one-two to avoid turning over possession in a risky area. In fact – according to The Times – Southampton actually believe the 19-year-old is the best young No.6 in Europe.
Why Chelsea must swap Conor Gallagher with Romeo Lavia
Gallagher has his talents, and Pochettino has already admitted to admiring the 23-year-old.
The Argentine was quoted by Nizaar Kinsella as saying: “We are so happy with him. Gallagher shows great commitment for the club. We are happy with him and he was captain two days ago vs Wimbledon.”
However, Gallagher is best suited to an attacking role, which Pochettino has given to Enzo Fernandez, so it would make sense to use Lavia and boost Chelsea’s chances of building up attacks from the back.
The teenager would sit ahead of the backline, which would also offer the 38-year-old Thiago Silva some protection too. One Chelsea fan feels the Brazilian is actually the issue right now, which Chelsea’s No.6 hit back at on Instagram.
Hopefully, Lavia is ready to make his Chelsea debut against Bournemouth after the international break, and can transform the way Pochettino’s side create attacks.