Sky Sports pundit and Chelsea fan Paul Merson claims that Levi Colwill was “found out” during the 1-0 defeat to Sunderland last weekend.

The 23-year-old struggled against Black Cats striker Brian Brobbey, fouling him in the box for the decisive penalty.

Manager Xabi Alonso ultimately decided to take Colwill off after 45 minutes, and Merson says it was concerning that the centre-back took the completely wrong approach to marking his opponent:

“Levi Colwill got found out at Sunderland. He got absolutely ripped to shreds by Brian Brobbey. You’re not going to fight Brobbey, you’re not going to beat him up, you’re not quicker than him. And he tried to prove that he was – and just kept on getting done. That was worrying for me – and it was no surprise that he came off at half-time.”

“Because after half-time, Brobbey didn’t do much. Chelsea made sure he wasn’t allowed to fight with people. They dropped off him, and they didn’t let Brobbey feel anyone – which makes a massive, massive difference.”

Colwill has to learn

Brobbey is a handful for any defender, but as Merson says, the one thing you shouldn’t do is mark him tightly. He will outmuscle you and turn you inside out.

Colwill must take it as a learning experience, but for a player who has made nearly 100 Premier League appearances, you would hope that he’d be a bit smarter.

The centre-half turns 24 in February, and he has already captained the Blues on several occasions, but the mistakes he made on Sunday were rather basic.

Chelsea want to tie him down to a new contract

Colwill has played well in recent weeks, and it will be hoped that the performance against Sunderland was a blip rather than the start of a downward spiral in his form.

It seems his club still have complete faith in his ability. They are reportedly hoping to enter discussions over a contract extension early in the New Year.