Levi Colwill is cool under pressure. The Chelsea defender has a smooth way of handling opposition strikers and does not mind answering awkward questions. Fresh from signing a new long-term deal, he does not hesitate when he is asked whether Chelsea have any chance of winning trophies after last season’s struggles.
“Why not?” the 20-year-old shoots back, barely missing a beat. He is not interested in the past. “It’s a different season with different players. There’s a different feeling in the changing room, so I think we can do anything we want.”
Colwill is the future. He has followed in John Terry’s footsteps by taking the No 26 shirt and believes there is only way for him to become a Chelsea legend. “Win trophies,” he says. “But not just once, keep doing it in multiple seasons.”
That looks a far away dream at the moment, though. Chelsea finished 12th last season and it is hard to know what to expect from Mauricio Pochettino’s young squad. Keeping Colwill was a major boost. He spent last season on loan at Brighton and they wanted to bring him back. Liverpool were also interested and there were suggestions Colwill would be squeezed out at Chelsea, who are not short of options in central defence.
Yet Chelsea were adamant Colwill was not for sale after rejecting a bid from Brighton in June. Talks with Pochettino went well and the new deal was agreed last week. “I love this club,” says Colwill, who has been at Chelsea since his ninth birthday.
“I just need to play. When I’m playing football I’m at my happiest in life. I spoke to the gaffer, asked him how he sees me and I got all the right answers. He gave me confidence. I’ve had a decent pre-season. I just need to absorb as much as I can from the gaffer and the players around me.”
Colwill is set to start against Liverpool on Sunday. Thiago Silva, his likely partner in central defence, is almost twice his age. “I used to watch clips of him the day before a game,” Colwill says. “He’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest and that’s what I used to be like before I grew a lot. Mentally, he’s steps above everyone.”
This is a pivotal period for Colwill. He has a chance to establish himself at Chelsea and played a large role in England’s Under-21s becoming European champions in July. “Everyone says we didn’t concede a goal and that the success was built on defence but that was rubbish,” Colwill says. “It was the whole team.
“We built a really good bond between the players and managers. When we played Portugal, we went 1-0 up and in the second half I don’t think we got out of our half. That family feeling where we stuck together and didn’t concede was the best feeling. After that, we knew we could win the tournament.”
Playing for Brighton helped Colwill, who has also had a season on loan at Huddersfield. He joined Brighton before Graham Potter left for Chelsea and his game progressed. A particular area of focus for Roberto De Zerbi is teaching his defenders how to hold on to possession. There were times when Colwill stood still with the ball at his feet, daring an opponent to press him.
Colwill, who hopes a strong season with Chelsea will give him a chance of being included in England’s senior squad before Euro 2024, laughs as he says the tactic was all down to De Zerbi. “That’s what we work on all the time,” he says. “At first I found it really tough. It mainly changed Southampton away last year. That’s when I really got my chance and he liked what he saw. When you play that football, you grow confidence. When it works you look amazing.”
The mind goes back to Colwill keeping the ball for 30 seconds when England’s Under-21s beat Israel last month. “It’s just a different way to frustrate a team when they expect you just to move it,” he says. “Most of my teammates knew what I was going to do because in training I had been doing it. I wasn’t in a rush.
“We were 1-0 up, nearly half-time. If you are not going to press me, there is no point in passing. Finally, they pressed and we played around them. That’s what happens.”
The confidence feels natural. Colwill was unfazed by Chelsea spending big on Benoît Badiashile, another left-sided centre-back, in January. He dismisses the idea they cannot play in the same team. “Two right-footers can play together,” he says. “Why can’t two left-footers? People who say that are a bit clueless. I don’t think it matters what foot you are if you understand the position.”
Colwill talks about believing in himself. “I have had it my whole life,” he says. “It comes from my parents. One of my dad’s biggest things he tells me is never give up and no one can doubt you. I try to be confident, and think: ‘If you don’t like me, I don’t really care.’ I am here to work hard.”
It has not always been easy. Colwill has had injuries and he has had to prove himself at Brighton and Huddersfield. His mentality has pushed him on. “It always gets tested,” he says. “You just have to dig in and keep going. It’s football. The best players go through it all the time. It’s just how you come out the other side.”
