(Video): “Exactly what Maresca needed” – ESPN pick out “tremendous” player who “invigorated” Chelsea | OneFootball

Chelsea played a strong Liverpool side at Stamford Bridge yesterday knowing that likely only a win and 3 points would do in the race for the top 5.

Well, in the end they got it, beating the Reds 3-1, and on ESPN, pundit Luis Miguel Echegaray was in no doubt about one player who had transformed the side and made such a result possible:

“[Chelsea] did a very good job, but a key factor was Romeo Lavia. He is a massive part of this Chelsea philosophy. He allowed Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to go forward. His involvement is crucial. The Belgian midfielder is exactly what Enzo Maresca needed for the entire season in order for Chelsea to move on,” Echegaray explained.

“Because let’s be honest, Chelsea this season… can also erratic, can also lose possession in important moments… they need some stability in that midfield, and Romeo Lavia is all of that and then some. It’s a tremendous thing for him to be part of it. So that’s how Chelsea invigorated themselves.”

You can see them speaking in the clip embedded here:

Lavia leaves fans wondering where they’d be if he’d been fit

Lavia was indeed superb, and as we’ve already seen a couple of times when he’s made a comeback from injury, you’re left wondering what could have happened had he been fit all year.

There’s no point speculating, but given this Champions League race is likely to come down to a point or two, if we miss it one could quite reasonably say his injuries are part of the reason.

We both need to hope he’s through the worst of those problems now, and also find a player who can perform the same role when he’s out hurt. Andrey Santos and Dario Essugo have a lot to prove when they arrive next month.