Two Chelsea stars get fresh start under Enzo Maresca after £71m transfers

Almost two hours after Chelsea's Club World Cup last-16 match with Benfica reached the 85-minute mark, it restarted. With players trying to keep themselves active via exercise bikes and dressing room warmups throughout the storm-inflicted break, one did not return to see things out.

Romeo Lavia, selected to start his third game out of four so far in America, was the fifth substitute made by Enzo Maresca after one injury-enforced change in the 70th minute and a triple change shortly after. He was not risked to get back up to speed with proceedings in Charlotte. It ended the chance for him to play a full match for the first time at Chelsea.

It is nearly two years since he joined from Southampton for £58million and Lavia has only now clocked over 1,000 competitive minutes.In that time he has made 23 appearances. On three occasions, he has made it to the 75th minute mark or later.

Had the weather not interrupted, Lavia may well have managed his first 90 for the club. It would have been the latest in a cautious step forward for the 21-year-old, who has had a torrid time due to injury over the past two seasons.

When Lavia is fit, he has been impressive.The end-of-season run of four wins in the final five games coincided with his return to the side.Albeit only playing once a week, this is now his best period in a Chelsea shirt.

The bar is on the floor given just how much football he has missed, but Lavia was also playing regularly between October and mid-December when Chelsea made a surge to second place in the league. His absence for almost all of the following four months saw Chelsea drop off considerably.

It is only a correlation, but Lavia's importance to the team cannot be overstated.At the Club World Cup, he has once more established himself as being central to Maresca's plans, with excellent press resistance through dribbles and punched passes through the lines.

Moises Caicedo is still the irreplaceable part of the Chelsea team, perhaps even more so than Cole Palmer, especially as his dry form continues; but Lavia is making himself similarly vital. It is Enzo Fernandez, off the back of his best season at Stamford Bridge so far, who has had to shift his position to accommodate at times.

Balancing all three is a nice problem to have, and Maresca will be hoping that Lavia can take another step forward next season. Chelsea will continue to manage him carefully but with Champions League football returning, Lavia will aim to be involved in midweek again having not been named in the Conference League squad last year for precautionary reasons.

Whereas Lavia is currently building on his positive end to last season, Andrey Santos has taken a back seat at the Club World Cup. It has left many to be worried and frustrated at the lack of opportunities so far.

Santos was among the top-performing midfielders across Europe whilst at RC Strasbourg in Ligue 1 but has been limited to one cameo appearance since joining up with the squad once again. For those who have hoped to see more of Santos following two pre-season tours at Chelsea ahead of loans to Nottingham Forest (2023) and then Strasbourg (2024), the tournament has been a disappointment thus far.

Whereas some saw this as a chance to integrate new players into the first-team squad (namely Santos, Mike Penders, Dario Essugo, and more chances for Josh Acheampong and Tyrique George), Maresca has chosen to be consistent with those who he ended 2024/25 with. It has left Santos with just 20 minutes of action over four matches.

It is hardly the kick on or impact he would have been after. Not even Caicedo's quarter-final suspension is likely to change things. Essugo is the closer backup to Caicedo, and Maresca could turn to Enzo Fernandez and Lavia together instead, anyway.

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In a bid to take the Club World Cup as seriously as possible, Maresca has chosen familiarity over risk. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Malo Gusto were preferred substitutes as Chelsea aimed to see out the Benfica game, whereas Acheampong and Santos might have benefited more from the exposure and game time.

The logic here is that Dewsbury-Hall and Gusto know Maresca's demands having worked with him for longer. Santos, whilst arguably the better player, is still coming to grips with things.

Maresca said as much himself, admitting that it would take time for the Brazilian to be ready. The same goes for others who are clearly not yet at the same level of trust. That will not go down well with those who are wary of interest in Santos from elsewhere across Europe.

Having moved from Vasco da Gama for just £13million, Chelsea know that they could bank an enormous profit on Santos without him even playing a proper game. After his stunning form and fabulous 2025, the Club World Cup represented a chance to immediately stake a claim in the team. It looked to be an extended runway into the summer, especially with logistical issues heading into the remainder of pre-season, whenever that may be.

Chelsea only have two confirmed friendlies ahead of the Premier League's mid-August start. Depending on how far they go in the Club World Cup, their season-opener against Crystal Palace could be anywhere between three and five games away.

With how Maresca has used his squad so far, Santos may only be able to bank on playing in two of those, which will come after a holiday spent while most other teams and players are ramping up their preparations. Unless Chelsea alter their plans, Santos may well head into next year undercooked.

It is one of the many nightmare challenges presented by the Club World Cup. If Maresca prioritised new players over his strongest XI from last season and Chelsea had struggled or went into next season without the minutes under the belts, then criticism would also have arisen.

To an extent, Maresca would be damned no matter how he plays it. For Santos, who is a player of immense interest for Chelsea supporters after he was signed to so much fanfare in January 2023, there is heat and expectation around his name.

Santos can rightfully expect opportunities at Chelsea after having such a stellar 18 months in France. He is now a fully fledged international and has plenty to offer. The Club World Cup has cooled the hot streak he was on and raised questions over how Chelsea manage him moving forward.

Maresca, one way or another, will be aiming to give him more chances in the coming months. Whether that is enough to satiate Santos or his followers is another issue entirely.

This is the tale of two young midfielders who could have a big role to play at Chelsea if the circumstances allow. Lavia's fitness will dictate his availability and if he can push on again. For Santos, the Club World Cup is an awkward tournament somewhere between competitive competition and pre-season that carries incredibly lucrative rewards.

Chelsea have gone one way with selection and it has not favoured him yet. However, given his quality and the number of games next season with top-level European football on the horizon, there will be plenty of chances for him.

Right now, he is in a holding pattern and being made to wait when so much speed had been built up.