Speaking after the match, Chelsea manager Maresca cut a dejected figure as he addressed Lavia’s latest injury in his post-match press conference. “We feel very ashamed, especially for him, because he’s not able to be fit for a long, long period,” Maresca said. “It’s not a recurrence of his hamstring problem; it looks like a quad injury. We’ll need to assess him further, but it doesn’t look good.”
The Italian had expressed similar concerns just 24 hours earlier, emphasising that the club’s primary goal was to protect Lavia’s fragile fitness. “The main target for Romeo now is to be fit. Don’t get any injuries,” Maresca said on Tuesday. “For me, at this moment, Romeo is where Reece [James] was one year ago — coming back after a long period out. We need to manage him every minute, every day, every second. The target is to keep him fit and help him enjoy football again.”
Maresca also praised Lavia’s attitude in training and insisted the club would not give up on helping him recover. “We are happy with the way he’s progressing. The only thing we want is to keep him fit,” he added. “It’s my duty to protect him, even if that means limiting his minutes. He’s an important player for us and a wonderful person, so this hurts everyone inside the club.”