{"id":709,"date":"2026-08-08T20:55:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=709"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:55:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:55:49","slug":"romeo-lavia-sends-message-to-xabi-alonso-after-completing-first-90-minutes-at-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=709","title":{"rendered":"Romeo Lavia sends message to Xabi Alonso after completing first 90 minutes at Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Romeo Lavia completed his first 90 minutes as a Chelsea player in the pre-season victory against AC Milan, and proved exactly how good he is when fit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lavia<\/a> started in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo as Xabi Alonso<\/a> elected to set the Blues up in a back three for the first time since taking over at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n

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With Chelsea<\/a> playing again tomorrow, there was an appetite for some players to play the full 90 minutes, including Lavia who did so for the first time since joining in 2023.<\/p>\n

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Josh Acheampong and Joao Pedro were brilliant vs AC Milan!<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Did anyone else catch your eye?<\/p>\n

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Romeo Lavia stars for Chelsea vs AC Milan<\/h2>\n

The Belgian registered an assist from a corner which he floated to the edge of the box, allowing Caicedo<\/a> to finish in glorious fashion from the edge of the box.<\/p>\n

The move was straight out of new set-piece coach Austin McPhee\u2019s playbook<\/a>, and was their second goal from a corner of the game.<\/p>\n

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Lavia completed 97% of his passes throughout the game, only misplacing two passes as he managed to keep Chelsea on the front foot throughout the match.<\/p>\n

This came with five passes into the final third, while completing all of his attempted long passes (6\/6).<\/p>\n

As far as his defensive duties went, there was very little to criticise either. The Belgian made one tackle and eight recoveries, whilst winning 4\/6 of his duels.<\/p>\n

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CONFIRMED Chelsea XI vs AC Milan<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Thoughts on this XI, Blues?<\/p>\n

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Alonso learns important lesson about Romeo Lavia<\/h2>\n

There has been no doubting of Lavia\u2019s quality when fit, although some managers recently have not had a proper opportunity to see his talent on show.<\/p>\n

Alonso has now got an up close look at how good he can be, and how important a role he plays when present in the squad.<\/p>\n

At a time where there are still no assurances over Enzo Fernandez\u2019s<\/a> future, having Lavia available will be a massive boost due to his ability to maintain possession in the middle of the park.<\/p>\n

Any movement on other midfielders should not include this man, who has so much to give when available for Chelsea.<\/p>\n

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