Colwill becomes crucial building block for Maresca's blueprint

Lego helps the defender clear his head before tomorrow's Conference League final against Real Betis in Wroclaw

- Jacob Steinberg

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."

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.