“Let him play” – Xabi Alonso shares why he didn’t take off the tired Chelsea star during the AC Milan game.
Xabi Alonso shared a glimpse into his special way of managing by explaining why he didn’t take off a Chelsea player who looked ‘tired’ during their match against AC Milan.
Chelsea won 3-0 in Jakarta, with Joao Pedro scoring twice and Moises Caicedo adding another goal. New signing Danny Welbeck got his first game for Chelsea after his surprise move from Brighton. But the game was especially important for midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Lavia joined Chelsea from Southampton in August 2023 for £53 million, after Liverpool showed a strong interest in him. The Belgian, who started out at Manchester City’s academy, has played 43 times for Chelsea but has often been held back by muscle injuries in his thigh, hamstring, and quadriceps. This meant he missed over 80 games and never played the full 90 minutes—until now.
On Saturday at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Lavia finally completed a full game. Alonso made lots of changes to give players some time on the pitch but kept Lavia on purposely, wanting him to feel tired even with his recent hamstring injury.
After the match, Alonso told Chelsea’s official channels, “Romeo has a mental block about playing 90 minutes. He was tired, but I said, ‘Let him play…’ We let him finish the game exhausted, and I think he’s really happy.”
Lavia hadn’t played a full match in over three years, so this game was a big moment. His teammate Wesley Fofana even posted a picture on Instagram celebrating Lavia’s feat with the caption, “@romeolavia first 90 min ❤️.”
Lavia will likely get a well-deserved rest soon, as Chelsea are back on the field just one day later to face Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim. Since many young players are traveling with the team, Alonso is expected to use a completely different lineup for this last game of their Australia and Asia tour.
“That was the plan—to have some players able to make 90 minutes in these last games,” Alonso told Hayters. “We followed a clear plan for training loads and stuck to it.”
He added, “Many young players will get a chance to play tomorrow. Playing two games in two days is tough, so we need those fresh players for the second game. We’ve learned a lot these two weeks—not just in football but about the players too, spending time together abroad. It’s been good. Tomorrow is the last game before we head back to London.”
Chelsea will then host Alonso’s old club Real Sociedad for a final friendly at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, August 15.