Levi Colwill at left-back has been a bone of contention for much of the season for followers of Chelsea. Ian Maatsen has been unfancied in the role while Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell have suffered long standing injuries.
However, it was Colwill that came into the season against Liverpool playing a role most similar to that of full-back with Chilwell playing in a more advanced position on the wing or tucking in centrally to monitor the danger of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Mauricio Pochettino‘s preferred partnership in the centre of defence has been Axel Disasi and Thiago Silva.
The 20-year-old still sees himself as a central defender but believes he is learning from the experience.
He explained: “Obviously, I’m playing in a different position — everyone knows I’m a centre-back — but I am trying to help the team and learn as much as I can to help me in the future. There have been good moments and I am happy to keep learning for the future when I return to centre-half.
“In terms of one-versus-one defending, as a full-back, you’re very exposed to the winger. When you’re at centre-back, you have players around you and you can slow them down. So that has been tough.
“Another thing would be where you receive the ball, as a lot of the time you receive the ball on the line. At centre-half, when I’ve got the ball, I’m in control of the situation and can break the lines and start attacks. As a full-back that’s harder because you’ve got the winger ahead of you, the centre-half next to you, or the midfielder. Those are your options.”
