Photo by Morgan Harlow/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Photo by Morgan Harlow/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Chelsea fought hard but were unable to beat Arsenal again on Sunday, and Gary Neville admitted a decision made by Xabi Alonso left him ‘surprised’.
The Blues couldn’t build on Morgan Rogers’ early goal and eventually lost 2-1, and were left to rue a game where their unavailable players would have made a significant impact.
Moises Caicedo was unavailable for selection due to injury, and is also set to miss the EFL Cup tie with Leeds United as he continues his recovery.
Gary Neville shocked Xabi Alonso subbed off Romeo Lavia in Chelsea vs Arsenal
Alonso started Reece James alongside Romeo Lavia in the heart of midfield, however the latter was taken off after 60 minutes for Malo Gusto.
Neville stated after the game that he was surprised to see the Belgian taken off, and believes he will form part of Chelsea’s best midfield pairing.
He told the Gary Neville podcast: “I thought Lavia played well. He was disappointed to go off and I was surprised to see him go off, but they don’t want to lose him, maybe they thought, ok, well Gusto and James.
“And that will be a question. Look, if you’ve got Caicedo and Lavia in there, I think Chelsea can have a very, very good midfield two. But keeping them two fit is going to be the question.”
Alonso admitted during pre-season that Lavia had a mental block surrounding playing prolonged minutes in a game, which may be behind the fact he is still yet to complete 90 minutes in the Premier League for them.
Arsenal FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
However, he has started all three league games this season, scoring his first goal for the club against Brighton too.
It has been reported that Caicedo may not return until after the international break, piling more pressure on Lavia to continue to perform in the coming games.
This is perhaps why the boss has not been wanting to push him too hard, however he could address the issues by handing a proper opportunity to Valentin Barco.
The Argentine has only started in the EFL Cup so far, although is likely to be handed in the EFL Cup against Leeds on Wednesday.