Chelsea lost 2-1 at Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
They struggled to impose themselves in midfield, having sold Enzo Fernandez and losing Moises Caicedo to injury.
The Ecuadorian midfielder has been dealing with a niggling issue that kept him out of Chelsea’s Premier League opener.
Manager Xabo Alonso rushed him back as Chelsea faced Brighton & Hove Albion in their second game, but he suffered a relapse.
Chelsea desperately missed Caicedo at the Emirates Stadium, but Alonso says he will give him time to recover properly.
Alonso said (via football.london), “It’s about assessing the risk. Probably last week we took him too early, and I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”
Chelsea needed Caicedo to anchor proceedings as they were up against one of the best midfield units in Europe.
Lavia is not on the same level as Caicedo because injuries disrupted his development, while Reece James is underwhelming in the engine room.
The Blues took a big risk selling Fernandez and Andrey Santos without like-for-like replacements and are paying the consequences.
Chelsea may need to sign a marquee name or two in the winter transfer market.
While many fans will have complained about the lack of depth in the centre of the park, acquiring elite operators is more important than signing a temporary fix.
