In 2023, Roméo Lavia was a wanted man. As Southampton’s player of the season, he showcased himself as a modern manager’s dream — a defensive midfielder who balanced a calm, wise head with physicality, had a silky touch, and could thread a pass through the eye of a needle.

Chelsea would emerge victorious in a tug-of-war with Liverpool for the then nineteen-year-old, having already wooed Moisés Caicedo to their side amid strong interest from the Reds. The prospect of a long-term midfield partnership between the two had Chelsea mouths watering.

While Caicedo has enjoyed many minutes and shown value for his £115M fee, Lavia has had an intermittent stint littered with injuries and only glimpses of brilliance. His peers like Cole Palmer have been quick to reassure doubting fans that he still has much to offer Chelsea.

Having missed the starting XI in Chelsea’s previous four Premier League games, Lavia would find his way back in against Manchester United, following a Jordan Henderson illness, and have arguably his brightest day in blue.

Lavia, the midfield maestro

Xabi Alonso has created a constant riddle for opponents regarding whether Chelsea will set up with a three or four at the back. When Michael Carrick and United came to visit, he opted for the latter. The 3-4-3 has served Alonso well thus far in his Chelsea tenure by enabling prolificness but his team have lacked control in games. A 4-3-3 was an attempt to rectify this by having an extra body in the middle of the park. Lavia and Caicedo made up a double pivot while Palmer was deployed as a number 10.

Looking to establish control, Chelsea went short on goal kicks more frequently, a departure from the norm this season. Again, with Pedro Neto filling in as a number 9, Harry Maguire would have gobbled up long balls all game long. 

Lavia was crucial to Chelsea progressing through United’s 4-4-2 block. Alongside Caicedo, he hovered on the blindside of United’s first line to be an option for centre-backs Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana. Lavia and Caicedo run also shifts in slotting in the back line for a 3v2 overload meant to distort United’s block. 

The highlights will show Rogers’ splendid solo goal and Estêvão’s flashy moments, but Lavia was the metronome keeping things ticking, playing 72 passes, the most among the midfield trio, with 89% accuracy. Lavia had the midfield on lock, expertly deciding when to slow the tempo or attempt a line-breaking pass. He did the latter 16 times, more than anyone else on the pitch. While he went about his work on the ball, he shrugged of all who tried to bother him, he was never dispossessed. 

Off the ball, he was equally phenomenal, amassing the most defensive contributions in the game with 23. Tasked with marking Bruno Fernandes, Lavia picked his moments, ensuring Chelsea’s 4-4-2 block did not go haywire when United’s talisman roamed.

In such situations, Lavia allowed a teammate closer to Bruno to cover, while keeping himself busy with whichever United player had drifted into his space. When he made up his mind to go after a man, he was a true gnat. This was the case in the lead-up to Morgan Rogers’ goal as he stole the ball from Bryan Mbeumo and slid it into Rogers’ path for an assist. 

Lavia crowned this exceptional performance by clocking his first full ninety minutes in the Premier League since moving to Stamford Bridge, and bagging the Man of the Match award. He proved to be a major part of the answer for a Chelsea team crying out for control. Alonso will look back at the 58% possession achieved and tip his hat to Lavia.

Lavia will be hoping his body is kinder to him so that he can finally settle in a groove. In the post-match press conference, while discussing where Lavia is at mentally, Xabi Alonso said, “Sometimes, the head is more important than the legs, and his head is in a good place.”

If Lavia keeps up in this way, the Blues will finally be getting the full package they purchased from Southampton three years ago.