EXCLUSIVE | Levi Colwill: Exciting Times Ahead for England and Chelsea under Lee Carsley

England and Chelsea defender Levi Colwill told telecomasia.net that the next few years will be exciting for the Three Lions under Lee Carsley, who has been appointed as interim manager after Gareth Southgate left his role. Southgate departed after guiding England to two second-place finishes at the Euros, reaching the last four of the World Cup in Russia in 2018, and the quarterfinals of the tournament in Qatar. 

Carsley is not ruling out taking the job on a permanent basis, but Chelsea defender Colwill, who has been called up for the international friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Finland this month, says Carsley is a brilliant manager, and the next few games will prove it.

I’m so happy for him. He’s a great manager, and I’ve been with him for the under-21s, so it’s a really exciting time for England. I think the players he’s brought through are amazing, and they are playing at the top level and doing well, so it’s a really exciting time to be an England player and to be part of it all.

Levi Colwill

Colwill is a key member of the Chelsea project and, at only 21, he’s signed a long-term contract at the club, where he’s become the starting center-back alongside French defender Wesley Fofana.

Chelsea broke the bank for Fofana two seasons ago, and every time he’s played, he’s shown that he’s an unbelievable talent and a rare gem, but he’s hardly played. Last season, he was ruled out for the entire campaign due to a knee injury.

But as with all top players, he found a way back, and Colwill, who has started the season alongside the former Leicester City man, has backed him to be a generational talent, saying he enjoys playing with him.

Wesley is a very good player, and I enjoy playing with him. He’s so aggressive, and I think we complement each other really well. Behind the scenes, he’s such a great lad, and I think everyone gets on well with him.

Levi Colwill

Chelsea has become a very challenging place for football. Last season, they won their last five games and jumped from 10th on the league table to finish sixth, qualifying for the Europa Conference League. But that wasn’t enough to keep Mauricio Pochettino in his job; he’s since been replaced by Italian Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester to Premier League promotion last season.

At Chelsea, Maresca has only been able to pick up four points from nine, and the pressure is beginning to mount, but Colwill has backed his manager to get things right, saying everyone is buying into his ideas. He added:

We are improving, and we are getting better. The football we are trying to play out there is really good, so we are getting there. We are Chelsea Football Club, and we expect to win every game, but of course, a setback like this can happen. Palace are a good team, and this is what they do best. But we need to improve, and hopefully, next time we play, we’ll beat them.

Levi Colwill

Just three seasons ago, Chelsea won the Champions League, but they’re struggling to return to the previous heights where they were chasing the Premier League title. This summer, 13 players have arrived, including the likes of Joao Felix and Pedro Neto.

Christopher Nkunku, who was also injured for large parts of last season, is back in the team, but Chelsea failed to beat Palace and missed an opportunity to lay down a marker.

Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport after the 1-1 draw against Palace, Colwill, who will now head off for the international break, admitted Chelsea’s strikers need to start scoring their chances after Nicolas Jackson missed the opportunity to give the home side the win.

This was a frustrating one because we had the chances, and I think we needed to kill off the game in the first half, which we didn’t do. But Palace are a really good team, and coming away with a point, I think they’ve done their job. But there are lots of positives, and there’s a lot more to improve on.

Levi Colwill

The first few weeks of the new season have now taken off completely, and all attention will turn to international football for the next two weeks, with players heading to their countries for the Nations League, and some heading for World Cup qualifiers, especially those from African countries.