'I quite like': Darren Bent shares the Chelsea partnership he really enjoys when they're on the pitch together

TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent has claimed that he really likes it when two Chelsea stars are playing together in the same team.

Chelsea have definitely managed to assemble a talented squad of players together at Stamford Bridge, where they’ve got two quality options per position. As a result, Enzo Maresca has a difficult job as the Blues manager leaving high-profile names out of his starting XI each game.

John Obi Mikel would still like to see more leadership in Chelsea’s players, but we’re hopeful it will come with more time for this young group.

• READ MORE: Some around Chelsea’s academy think their ‘phenomenal’ youngster should be closer to first-team squad

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Darren Bent likes midfield pivot of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo

Darren Bent has claimed that he’s a big admirer of Chelsea’s midfield pairing of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, which performed admirably in the weekend’s 2-1 league defeat at Liverpool.

Bent told talkSPORT: “I thought Caicedo was good again [against Liverpool], flying around the park. I almost feel like when they’ve got Lavia and Caicedo, it’s more protection. I quite like those two. If you’re going to Palmer as the 10, I quite like that. The moment you lose one of those, it’s a bit lopsided.”

Caicedo, 22, is an ever-present in Chelsea’s line-up and performing superbly well. In particular, he’s so effective when he’s roaming as a box-to-box central midfielder with such high intensity and aggression.

As for Lavia, he’s had many injury obstacles to deal with since he joined the club in the summer of 2023. However, the 20-year-old defensive midfielder looked outstanding on Sunday when he returned to the starting XI versus Liverpool.

What does it mean for Enzo Fernandez?

If the Caicedo-Lavia pairing in midfield develops moving forward, there’s got to be big question marks around Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

We’ve seen Fernandez, 23, as a nailed-on starter for most of his Chelsea career to date. His own combination alongside Caicedo does show flashes of brilliance, although it struggled at times last season.

For Fernandez, he’s got all the technical qualities to dominate the ball with his range of passing and football IQ. However, the Argentine star doesn’t grab many games in a way that you’d expect from a £107m signing (BBC).

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