Chelsea have the new Thiago Silva after heroic England moment amid three key traits
Levi Colwill produced a 'Thiago Silva like' goal-line clearance during England's defeat against Greece on Thursday. Lee Carsley's side were beaten 2-1 at Wembley courtesy of a second-half brace from Vangelis Pavlidis, but Chelsea centre-back Colwill was one of England's standout players on the night.
The first-half clearance - which prevented Greece from taking the lead - was his best moment. Jordan Pickford's scuffed pass was intercepted by Anastasios Bakasetas, who took a touch out of his feet and curled a shot around the Three Lions shot-stopper. A goal seemed inevitable as the ball bounced towards the line, only for Colwill to somehow scoop away from danger.
Fans were in awe of Colwill's amazing clearance, with some Chelsea supporters comparing it to Silva's goal-line stop while playing for the Blues against Juventus in 2021. Alvaro Morata looked destined to score for Juve as he dinked the ball beyond an onrushing Edouard Mendy, but Silva managed to get back and claw off the line.
With Colwill wearing Silva's infamous No.6 shirt at Chelsea, he has the potential to achieve as much as, if not more as the Brazilian did during his time at Stamford Bridge. The obvious difference between the pair, however, is that Silva joined when he was in the twilight of his career, whereas the Blues could have Colwill at his peak years.
If Colwill can continue to produce impressive performances on a weekly basis, Chelsea have a defender with the potential to be a world-class operator in the future, just like Silva was. Unlike Silva, Colwill is not the Chelsea captain but is in the leadership group despite still only being 21.
As well as his clearance, Colwill also looked composed when in possession against Greece, attempting to play through the lines and executing those most of the time. There isn't many defenders in the Premier League with his ball-playing ability, and when you add his defensive capabilities on top, it's scary to think of what Colwill could go on to do in his career.
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Colwill has started the season in fine fettle for the Blues alongside Wesley Fofana at the back. And teammate Noni Madueke has recently heaped praise on the defensive duo. He said: "I think they do complement each really well. They are polar opposites. Wes carries the ball, Levi passes it. Wes is front-foot, Levi is like a sweeper. You [Colwill] are the control, and Wes is like the aggressor. I think it's perfect, it's great balance."