Calum McFarlane has spoken to the press ahead of Chelsea's clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Calum McFarlane has provided an update on Romeo Lavia ahead of Chelsea's clash against Tottenham Hotspur. The 22-year-old midfielder was left out of the matchday squad on Saturday afternoon when the Blues lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Lavia had started three of the last four games for Chelsea across all competitions, rebuilding his fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Belgian made his long-awaited return to action at the start of March and has since played 13 times.
Only six of the appearances were starts, and Lavia didn't complete a full game in either. After featuring in each of the Blues' last eight Premier League games in some capacity, he was an unused substitute in the draw to Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month.
Then, Lavia didn't even make the matchday squad for the FA Cup final at the weekend. Speaking to reporters at Cobham on Monday morning, the interim Blues boss confirmed the midfielder had suffered a knock.
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When asked to provided an update on Lavia, McFarlane said: "Romeo picked up a slight knock in the build-up to the game. Nothing major. But with Romeo, I didn't want to take that risk.
"He didn't want to take that risk. I thought he was brilliant in the games that he did play, in the same way Levi did. But you just have to be careful with players like that."
Mamadou Sarr and Benoit Badiashile were also left out at the weekend. On the Chelsea duo, McFarlane added: "They didn't make the squad. They're training really well, training really hard - we can use them in the next two games potentially.
"We've got a lot of players in those positions. You want to make sure you've got the right players in defence. There's nothing to report on those two."
Lavia, as well as Sarr and Benoit Badiashile, will hope to establish themselves as key players under Xabi Alonso next season. The 44-year-old has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge and will begin his role as Chelsea manager on July 1.
football.london understands that Alonso will work closely with Chelsea's five-strong sporting leadership team in the summer transfer window. It's believed that he and the directors are aligned over the areas of the squad that need to be improved on at the end of the season.
The three Blues players that missed out on the chance to showcase their talent in the FA Cup final will hope to make an impression in either of the last two games of the season. Lavia, in particular, could become a key player for Chelsea under Alonso.
In an interview with the Evening Standard before the defeat to Pep Guardiola's side at Wembley Stadium, the Belgian pledged his allegiance to the Chelsea project. He insisted: "The day I lose belief, I will probably be the first one to leave this place.
"When you're in the building, never at any point do you see a loss of belief. On a personal note, I 100 per cent believe we will turn it around and get back to the Chelsea everyone knows."