Club World Cup player entrances could work in the Premier League
Romeo Lavia believes the Premier League should introduce the glitzy individual player entrances deployed by FIFA at this summer's Club World Cup in the United States.
FIFA has changed the standard protocol for how teams enter the field of play at the tournament, calling each player to walk out of the tunnel individually amid a show of flashing lights and music, similar to what is regularly seen in athlete introductions for major American sports, boxing and at the Olympics.
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Many players have opted to ignore the greater fanfare around their individual entrances and some have even appeared slightly uncomfortable, creating some surreal pre-match scenes. Speaking after Chelsea's 2-0 win over LAFC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, however, Lavia declared himself a fan of the change.
'I think it's something special and new for us,' he said. 'It's a first for us. I enjoyed it. Why not bring it to the Prem (Premier League)?
'It's a bit of a showbiz thing, isn't it? I quite like it. The only difference is (if we did it in the Premier League), we might get a bit cold because once you're out there, you have to wait for maybe the other players. But apart from that, it was good.
'I guess we always learn new things from international tournaments, and that's what makes it special.'
Lavia started for Chelsea alongside Moises Caicedo but only lasted 45 minutes in Atlanta, being replaced by Enzo Fernandez at half-time — but the Belgian confirmed that his early withdrawal was not due to any injury concerns.
'It was just about managing minutes,' he added. 'There's no physical issue or anything.
'I feel very good, confident in my body and in what we can achieve (as a team) as well.'
Lavia has been beset by injuries in the first two years of his Chelsea career, though last season was a marked improvement on a 2023-24 campaign which saw him play just 33 minutes in the Premier League; he made 16 league appearances for Enzo Maresca, starting 11 times.
Maresca has been candid about the need to manage the workloads on Lavia and club captain Reece James, and the Belgian insisted he is doing everything he can to keep himself fit.
'I am not thinking too far ahead,' he said. 'It's just about taking each game as it comes and then doing everything possible to stay fit, and playing as many games as possible.
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'I think the biggest credit a footballer can have is to be available. It's definitely something I'm aware of. So I do everything possible to stay fit. Honestly, all the injuries I have had before, I just want to put them behind me and look forward to the future feeling good. So I don't know why I should be thinking about the injuries.'
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