Levi Colwill becomes key building block for Maresca's Chelsea project
Levi Colwill likes to get lost in the house from Home Alone. The Chelsea centre‑back smiles when he thinks about building it in Lego form. His teammates are unimpressed, but Colwill is happy to talk about the hobby he has taken up to take his mind off football when he has some rare downtime.
'I saw a girl on TikTok building Lego so I thought I wanted to get into it,' the 22-year-old says. 'I'm a big kid. I think I've built five or six different things. They take time, but I enjoy it.'
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The obsession started when Colwill was experiencing a lack of form and fitness last season. Expectations were high after he returned from a successful loan at Brighton. He signed a new contract in August 2023 and looked set to become a key player for Mauricio Pochettino. It did not work out.
Chelsea had three left-backs but Colwill was asked to play there at first. He was starting in an unfamiliar position and struggled to adapt. It was not a good fit and the pressure grew. There was a lot of excitement about Colwill after his rise through Chelsea's academy but could he justify the hype? Early outings suggested not. He was guilty of flaky defending at times and could not build momentum when he played in the middle. Injuries disrupted his flow and he was left out of England's squad for Euro 2024.
And so to the Lego. 'It just takes your mind away from everything,' Colwill says. 'Last season when I was struggling a bit I started doing it. I built the Home Alone one with the movie on in the background and time just flies. It was around Christmas time, so I got myself in the spirit.
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'It's a big house. It took me weeks. The detail they go into is crazy. You don't see it when you just look at it but things like open up, there's a basement, there's a lot to it.
'It just takes you back to when you're a kid in terms of there's no worries, there's no problems. You feel relaxed and in your comfort zone. You're not thinking about much more than that. When you put your mind to something you blank out everything else around you. That's why I enjoy it so much.'
Let us not attribute this season's improvement solely to those little blocks, though. Colwill worked hard during pre‑season, refocused by moving back to Southampton to be closer to his family, and quickly earned the trust of Enzo Maresca after the Italian replaced Pochettino last summer.
There has been no bigger cheerleader for Maresca than Colwill. The pair have clicked and Colwill has progressed under Maresca. There is a feeling he can bulk up and become more dominant in the air, but his defending has improved.
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Scoring the winner when Chelsea clinched Champions League qualification by beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday was a moment to cherish, but the wider story is that Colwill lifted his game to another level during the run-in.
These are encouraging times. Chelsea will be competing with Europe's elite next season, and can end this campaign by claiming a smaller prize. Victory against Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday would lift the mood further.
Chelsea have cruised through the Conference League, often using their reserves to batter vastly inferior opposition and Colwill, who was named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad last Friday, has made two substitute appearances in the competition.
Yet the level will go up against Betis, who finished sixth in La Liga. Colwill could be needed. He is important for Maresca because of his ability to bring the ball out from the back and use his left foot to start attacks. His defending has also come on this season, although he accepts that he is not the finished article. 'I've had some ups and downs,' he says. 'There were some really good moments and some terrible moments I've had to learn from. It's all part of the plan. You have to take it in your stride.'
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Chelsea's youngsters are learning. There are parallels with José Mourinho's first spell at the club. Chelsea were an inconsistent side before the Portuguese took over; they had gone five years without winning a trophy before beating Liverpool in the League Cup final in 2005. Mourinho knew a first taste of silverware would make John Terry, Frank Lampard and others mentally tougher and hungry for more. So it proved when Chelsea ended that season by claiming the club's first league title in 50 years.
The current side are yet to reach those levels. Chelsea have won nothing since being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022 and Colwill does not agree with those who dismiss the Conference League as a tinpot trophy. 'People outside our bubble underrate the competition,' he says. 'We all know how big the competition is. If we win it will give us confidence to hopefully win more.'
Colwill thinks about how he will celebrate. He is waiting for an opportunity to put his Lego expertise to good use and put a model of a McLaren racing car together. Even better, though, would be a trip to Legoland. Colwill laughs. 'I'll be there,' he says.
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