The 2023/24 Premier League season has been one to forget for Chelsea fans, and the game against Brentford was no exception.
Mauricio Pochettino's men went into the clash off the back of a last-gasp win over Leeds United in the FA Cup, and there was hope that the team would be able to carry over some of that energy to the game at the Gtech Stadium.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen, and were it not for a late equaliser from Axel Disasi, the Pensioners would've been making the short journey back to Stanford Bridge empty-handed.
There were a number of poor performances on the day, with centre-back Levi Colwill being one of the worst offenders, although his recent injury is still far from ideal.
Levi Colwill's performance in numbers
Pochettino rested the 21-year-old for the FA Cup game against Leeds at the end of last month, but with the scores level late into the second half, he was brought on in place of youngster Alfie Gilchrist to help the Blues over the line.
Unfortunately, while he was a help to the team against the Peacocks, he was the complete opposite against the Bees just a few days later.
It may sound harsh, but it's a sentiment shared by the Standard's Dom Smith, who awarded the Englishman a 5/10 on the day and claimed that he 'had trouble dealing with the dynamism of Roerslev and Frank Onyeka.'
This assessment is backed up by his individual statistics as well. In his 79 minutes of action, the 6 foot 2 titan was accurate in just two of his nine long balls, maintained a passing accuracy of just 79%, and, worst of all, lost the ball 19 times, which equates to about once every 4.1 minutes. That simply isn't good enough.
Minutes
79'
Possession Lost
19
Fouls
1
Accurate Passes
56/71 (79%)
Long Balls (Accurate)
9 (2)
While it was, as Smith wrote, 'not his best showing in a Chelsea shirt,' Colwill would've likely started tonight against Newcastle United, given his raw talent. However, a recent toe injury has ruled him out, leaving Pochettino with a big decision: Who will replace him?
The man to replace Levi Colwill vs Newcastle
Yes, the player who should come in to replace the Englishman at the heart of defence is Thiago Silva.
The 39-year-old veteran was sidelined for a couple of weeks following the club's victory away to Crystal Palace last month, and while he wasn't fit to start at the Gtech Stadium on March 2nd, he was named on the bench.
There is an argument that the "outstanding" defender, as former boss Thomas Tuchel dubbed him, could be a little rusty following his layoff, but his vast experience and know-how should help him compensate.
Moreover, while it was cut short, his performance against the Eagles in February was encouraging, with GOAL's Matt O'Connor-Simpson giving the Rio de Janeiro-born star a 7/10 and claiming that he 'went about all his defensive work with typical class.'
Minutes
61'
Touches
97
Accurate Passes
89/90 (99%)
Clearances
3
Blocked Shots
1
Tackles
1
Long Balls (Accurate)
4 (3)
Possession Lost
2
Duels (Won)
1 (1)
Fouls
1
This is evident in his statistics from Selhurst Park, as in his 61 minutes of action, the former Paris Saint-Germain ace took 97 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 99%, made three clearances, blocked one shot, was accurate in three of his four long balls, won his single duel and most importantly in respect to Colwill's recent showing, he lost possession just twice, so once every 30.5 minutes.
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Ultimately, Colwill is the future of Chelsea's defence, regardless of the odd poor performance here and there. However, with him set to spend some time on the sidelines, Pochettino must bring in Silva.
