Romeo Lavia and Maxence Lacroix: What Belgian and French media have said about Chelsea duo
On Monday night, Romeo Lavia and Maxence Lacroix were both in action as the Chelsea duo did battle in Brussels, with Lacroix coming out on top. Below is how their nations rated their performances.
Both nations are starting a new era, with Mark van Bommel and Zinedine Zidane taking charge of only their second games as managers of both nations. Belgium got off to a great start, beating Italy away 2-0.
The same with Zidane, who watched his France side beat Turkey 1-0. Without Kylian Mbappe, France then went to Brussels to take on Lavia’s Belgium, with Lacroix retaining his place in France’s starting line-up.
France win battle of Brussels as Lacroix gets one over Lavia
Lavia clocked up 85 minutes for Belgium on Monday night, coming off before the only goal of the game flew in. Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise netted the winner, scoring in the 88th minute to secure a 1-0 win.
But Lavia was impressive. Rated Belgium’s highest-rated player by FotMob with a rating of 7.6, Lavia did not misplace a single pass, completing all 39. That included seven passes into Belgium’s attacking third.
He completed the second-most defensive contributions on the night despite going off on 85 minutes, winning more tackles than anyone (5), as well as making two blocks, one interception and two clearances.
Belgian outlet DH Net handed Lavia a rating of 8/10 for his performance on the night, Belgium’s highest rating: “It’s a pleasure to watch him break lines with pinpoint, precise passes. A tremendous effort.”
Chelsea signed more experienced players this summer to get SERIOUS! What impact has it made on the team so far? 🤔
Lacroix was the second-best player on the night, as per the stats
If Lavia was good, Lacroix was excellent. The Chelsea defender has struggled to live up to his price tag at Chelsea since his £52m summer move from Palace, but for France, Lacroix has not put a foot wrong.
Two 1-0 wins, two clean sheets; Lacroix has played every second of Zidane’s reign so far. FotMob handed Lacroix a rating of 7.9, the second-best player on the pitch – behind PSG attacker Desire Doue (8.7).
Lacroix enjoyed the most touches of anyone on the night, a total of 104. He misplaced just four of his 92 passes and made the most defensive contributions (11). He also won all of the duels he entered in.
GOAL’s French site handed Lacroix a rating of 7/10, reporting: “Lacroix displayed his physical dominance, handling Belgium’s long aerial balls with ease despite France losing the overall aerial duel count.
“His quick recovery was invaluable in stopping transitions before they became dangerous, contributing significantly to their defensive stability.” Hopefully, Lacroix and Lavia can continue this form at Chelsea.
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