After just a short while, Levi Colwill has become an essential member of Chelsea’s team.

Since coming back from his loan at Brighton, he has been a constant under Mauricio Pochettino and has been one of the season’s best players thus far.

For Chelsea, Colwill has been the answer to a dilemma. Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Ian Maatsen, and the center back have all been deployed out of position at left back ahead of the center defender, who is expected to stay there after Chilwell’s hamstring injury kept him out until December.

Pochettino’s use of Colwill was first questioned because of the player’s remarkable performances under Roberto De Zerbi in center defense the previous season.

However, Pochettino feels Chelsea will gain from having a central defender or midfield player play full-back, much like Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta do.

Chelsea, who play Burnley tomorrow, go from Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 configuration to a back-three when they have the ball.

In a back three, Colwill switches from left back to his preferred position of center back, where he can use his attacking skills to create openings for assaults.

In addition, Thiago Silva, a 39-year-old center defender with understandably slow speed, is protected by his role.

In his book Brave New World, Pochettino refers to the fluid technique as “controlled disorder,” stating that he desires “so much movement that it distresses the opposition.”

The tactical advancements made by Pochettino at Chelsea have appeared to be happening more slowly due to injuries, a dearth of goals, and overall instability. However, the Argentine is not wavering, and Monday’s 2-0 victory over Fulham showed indications that things were beginning to click.

Like a conventional full-back, Colwill moved forward down the flank to set up Mykhailo Mudryk’s opening goal. After rejoining Chelsea, the 20-year-old has also demonstrated true leadership both on and off the field. Chelsea battled valiantly to hold onto the player this summer despite offers from Brighton and interest from Liverpool and Manchester City.

Despite spending almost £400 million on a move, Colwill’s new six-year contract was believed to be the club’s most significant summer acquisition. This was signed in August.

Gareth Southgate has taken note of Colwill’s growth and could potentially use him to assist England in addressing an issue. Luke Shaw and Chilwell will not play against Australia or Italy due to injuries.

Colwill might be played at left-back, which would further highlight his rising stature within the team and his country.

“Yeah, very much,” Southgate responded when asked if Colwill would be a possibility to start at left-back against Australia on Friday and against Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifier the following Tuesday.

“We are aware that he has played center back for the majority of his football career, and I believe that this is his preferred position given his strengths. However, he plays left-back on a regular basis and we lack expertise there as well.

We have a few more center-backs who can also play full-back, so it’s a position where we need to learn a little bit about one or two individuals because the Premier League lacks depth in that particular position.

“We are big fans of Levi. He’s settling in nicely at Chelsea after having a great season with Brighton last year and a great Euros with our Under-21 team.”