Romeo Lavia, Chelsea’s young midfield star, made his first Premier League appearance for the Blues in their season-opening game against Manchester City.
Despite a 2-0 defeat, Lavia’s performance was a bright spot and he shared his thoughts on the game, the atmosphere in the team and his road back from injury.
Manchester City were always a strong team in their duel with last season’s champions and an early goal from Erling Haaland set the tone.
Chelsea fought hard and Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez worked tirelessly in midfield.
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Lavia looks back at Chelsea’s performance and positive aspects
Looking back on the game, Lavia said: “I think there are a lot of positives to take from this game. We had a lot of chances. We felt like we had the upper hand, but that didn’t happen.”
Lavia stressed the importance of learning from the experience, noting that this is just the beginning of the season. “It’s only the first game of the season. There are 38 games in the season and you see something developing, you definitely see it on the pitch,” he added.
The 20-year-old midfielder was also satisfied with the team’s current direction. “Of course the result on the pitch today was not in our favor, but I think the way we play and the way we are now is exactly where we want to be. We’ll take the good things with us and focus on the next game.”
Overcoming injury and looking forward
Lavia’s return to full fitness has been a long road and he thanked the club’s medical staff for their support. “I am extremely grateful to the club and the medical staff after my difficulties last season,” said Lavia. “The pre-season helped me to get here today and I am just grateful to be back with the team.”
Although Lavia did not want to talk about his injury, he was aware of the difficulty of the situation. “I don’t really want to talk about my injury, but it’s never easy. Nobody wants to be injured. From then on, you just have to look at the positive and be ready,” he explained.
Now that the season has started, Lavia is optimistic about what the future holds. “We are working very well and the mood in the team is great – we are all going in the same direction. We are looking forward to the rest of the season,” he concluded.
Lavia’s determination and positive attitude are clear to see and he is looking forward to making a strong impact at Chelsea in the coming months.
