Levi Colwill has slotted seamlessly into Chelsea’s backline after starting both of our opening two Premier League games of the campaign and the Cobham graduate has been speaking of his desire to take his game onto even greater heights in the build-up to Luton Town tonight.
The defender has been with us since the age of eight but has needed some important loan spells in the past two seasons to get him ready for the pressure that comes with playing for Chelsea.
Time in the Championship with Huddersfield Town came before an impressive year at Brighton & Hove Albion which gave Levi the most important learning curve: the chance to hone and improve his game under the harsh spotlight of the Premier League.
‘I learned a lot on loan. Going to Huddersfield, I learned the difference of being a professional and working hard every day. In the Academy, you come in and kind of take it for granted. Going into a men’s environment it’s a lot more serious. You come in to work, improve and win. That’s the most important thing,’ Colwill says as he sits and reflects.
‘Brighton was my first taste of the Premier League. The expectations were so high every day. De Zerbi pushed me every day. You can’t come into training and cheat yourself because you’re the only person that’s not going to learn anything. I’ve taken that on board and every day when I am here every day I am pushing myself.’
Yet the step up that comes with representing Chelsea has not fazed Colwill. He shuts out the off-field noise and focuses solely on developing, and improving his football.
‘I don’t really feel the pressure. There have been a lot of players that have been labelled with all sorts, and they might have not lived up to it, or there might be players that haven’t been labelled anything and have gone on to be the best,’ Levi says.
‘It’s all social media talk. It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t get to me. I’m the only person who can dictate that. I’m the person who has to push myself every day and hopefully become the best I can.’
One man who is going to be influential to the rise to the top of our new no.26 is his head coach, Mauricio Pochettino. Colwill is yet another player to heap praise on the Argentine.
‘He’s a really good guy,’ Colwill said. ‘He pushes you every day, makes sure he gets the most out of you. He’s always there to have a conversation after a game. He’ll tell you if you played good or bad. He’ll be honest with you and that’s what you need to improve and become the best player you can. I really appreciate that.’
Colwill will be hoping for a third consecutive Premier League start when Luton visit tonight, and he is eyeing three important points to get our season underway.
‘I want to try and stay in the team. I’ve got to improve my performances and get wins as a team. Whatever comes after that comes. If I’m playing well hopefully I can be in the England set-up. That would be the plan, but my priority is here,’ he said.
‘If I work hard here and put in good performances, I will have done everything I can to put myself in the position to go to the Euros.
‘Tonight will be a tough game, but back at the Bridge with the fans behind us we can push ourselves and hopefully get the win to start us off.’