Romeo Lavia
Chelsea’s 21-year-old midfielder, Romeo Lavia, encountered an injury setback during the opening minutes of the match against Qarabag at the Tofik Bakhramov Stadium on Wednesday night. Lavia was substituted early in the game, with Moises Caicedo stepping in as his replacement. This development has raised concerns about Lavia’s fitness, as he joins a growing list of Chelsea players dealing with injuries.
Maresca said: “We feel a shame for him, especially for him. He’s not able to be fit for a long, long period. We will see now. It’s too early to understand what kind of injury. I think it’s his quad.”
Maresca continued: “The main target for Romeo now is to be fit. Don’t get any injuries. For me, at this moment, Romeo is where Reece was more or less one year ago in terms of back after a long time. We need to manage him every minute, every day, every second.”
Maresca added: “In the Forest game, we planned for him 45 minutes. Then Ajax, I think he played one hour, 70 minutes. The other day against Tottenham, when he was on, he was very good. We are happy with Romeo. We are happy with the way he’s progressing. And the only thing we want is to keep him fit. So, I would like to have Romeo inside the pitch always. But it’s my duty to try to protect also him.”
Lavia’s injury is a significant concern for Chelsea, as the midfielder has been striving to regain full fitness following a prolonged absence. The club’s management has been cautious in handling his return, likening his situation to that of Reece James, who also faced a challenging recovery period. Maresca emphasized the importance of managing Lavia’s playing time to avoid further setbacks.
The injury list at Chelsea seems to be growing, with Lavia potentially joining Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto in the treatment room at Cobham. Palmer has been dealing with a groin injury this season and is expected to return soon, possibly in time for Chelsea’s upcoming clash against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Maresca reassured fans about the situation with Chelsea winger, stating that any issues were minor and being managed carefully.
Chelsea fans can catch the action on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel, as the club continues to navigate through these injury challenges while aiming to maintain their competitive edge in the Premier League.
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