Romeo Lavia is finally beginning to feel the benefits of years of behind-the-scenes work, describing a sense of freedom as he pushes to put his injury-troubled Chelsea career behind him.
The 22-year-old Belgian midfielder is closing in on the longest uninterrupted run of his time at Stamford Bridge. Should he play 60 minutes against Brentford, he will surpass his previous best stretch of 518 minutes without injury, a mark that includes pre-season fixtures.
It has been a long road to reach this point. Lavia's debut season at Chelsea was wiped out almost entirely by a serious hamstring problem, restricting him to a single appearance. The following campaign brought further frustration, as he missed 33 matches through injury. Last season marked a turning point, with Lavia featuring in roughly half of Chelsea's fixtures, and he has now stayed fit throughout pre-season and into the new campaign.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Lavia revealed the extent of the unseen effort that goes into maintaining his fitness, including a personal checklist he follows before matches. "There is so much that goes on behind the scenes," he said. "It's a big process but we're doing well at the moment."
Manager Xabi Alonso has played a part in helping Lavia overcome the psychological hurdles tied to his fitness history, notably encouraging him to break through a mental barrier around playing full matches during a pre-season game against AC Milan in August. Lavia acknowledged how difficult it has been to stay motivated through repeated setbacks. "I've learned you can always go further than you think you can. You can always push your limits, especially when you feel like everything is going against you," he said. "It's always easy to think about giving up, or to feel that whatever you do will take you back to the same point where you started." He credited the support network around him — teammates, staff and people close to him outside football — for helping him stay focused only on what he could control.
Lavia is not alone in fighting back from serious injury problems at Chelsea, with Reece James and Wesley Fofana having gone through similar battles. He has since established himself as a regular starter alongside James in Alonso's midfield, and his role has grown in significance following Moises Caicedo's limited game time this season and Enzo Fernandez's £125m deadline-day move to Manchester City.
"It's part of my game as well to take responsibility and have some character," Lavia said. "I really like being in that position and also being at this club. Having this responsibility, it's not even pressure, it's just like privilege, so I'm actually living the dream."
Chelsea's attacking form has also given Lavia reason for optimism. The club's revamped recruitment approach has brought in more experienced faces, including record £117m signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa — a former teammate of Lavia's at Manchester City's academy. Alongside Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, Chelsea have scored 18 goals in six matches across all competitions this season. "It's honestly amazing," Lavia said of the front line's understanding. "Sometimes I wish I could go in the stands and enjoy watching it... we're really, really happy to have them all and hopefully we can achieve great things together."
Despite the encouraging signs, Lavia was cautious about getting ahead of himself, insisting Chelsea have previously been "too immature" and must stay "realistic" about fulfilling their potential.
On a personal level, he pointed to his first Chelsea goal, scored in a 4-3 victory over Brighton, as a deeply meaningful milestone. "It was just a moment where I felt free," he said. "It feels like all the work that you're putting in, you gain the reward of it, so it was a very emotional moment." He added that the moment carried extra significance given his first-ever Premier League goal had come against Chelsea while playing for Southampton in 2022. "I wanted to change the narrative... I wanted to express it as much as possible with the fans and I really loved it."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.