Are Chelsea duo Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill becoming one of the Premier League’s best centre-back partnerships?

Enzo Maresca’s first port of call as Chelsea manager was stabilising the defence. The pairing of Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill initially raised concerns, but it’s becoming a fruitful partnership.

When he succeeded Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca would have been under no illusion about the task at hand. Although it’s early days, there’s plenty to smile about.

Losing talismanic figure and elder statesman Thiago Silva this summer was a setback. But Maresca’s reconfiguring of Chelsea’s back line — particularly the middle — could prove to be a masterstroke.

The former Leicester City boss has paired someone who missed the entire 2023-24 season due to injury with a player who played left-back last season, but it’s working.

Like every successful centre-back combination, there’s a balance, and both complement one another. Regarding the former, it’s a right- and left-footed centre-back pairing; and with the latter, Colwill has made the most clearances and blocks of any Chelsea player, while only Moises Caicedo and Fofana have made more interceptions.

“Fofana’s a really good player, and I really enjoy playing with him,” Colwill told Chelsea’s official website.

“He’s so aggressive, and I think we complement each other really well. Behind the scenes, he’s such a great lad. I get on really well with him, and I think everyone in the team gets on really well with him.

“We’ve created loads of chances by building from the back. You can see the way the gaffer wants us to play, and there are definitely loads of positives to take. We are building. We’ve only had a few games with the new gaffer, but it’s really exciting. All the players are excited for it, and I think the fans should be too.”

When asked if he’s enjoying playing alongside Colwill, Fofana responded via Chelsea’s YouTube channel: “Yeah, I enjoy it a lot. Levi is my guy. We train a lot in training. We try so many things. I feel good and confident with him. It is good.”

Colwill and Fofana have both been ever-present for Chelsea in the Premier League this season. In that time, the Blues have conceded five goals while keeping one clean sheet. That clean sheet came against Bournemouth last time out, where Colwill, in particular, stood out.

So far this season, Chelsea have conceded 1.25 goals and 4.75 shots on target per game in the Premier League. The Blues rank in mid-table for both of these metrics, and they’re a far cry from Liverpool and Arsenal at the top defensively.

Liverpool have faced a total of 2.81 Expected Goals Against, while Arsenal have conceded 2.14 Expected Goals on Target. This is understandable given how settled their centre-back duos are.

Right now, there’s no doubt William Saliba and Gabriel are the league’s best double act, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate not far behind. Manchester City have predominantly opted for a back-three this season, but any combination of Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias is potent.

Fofana and Colwill are certainly a work in progress, and both would have been jubilant to register their first Premier League clean sheet as a duo — though goalkeeper Robert Sanchez played a big part.

The next couple of weeks offer the potential to increase that number, with the Blues visiting West Ham before hosting Brighton and Nottingham Forest. But greater tests also lie in wait.

Between now and the end of November, Chelsea have a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool and host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. There will be no better signpost to see how far Chelsea’s development is coming along, even if the season is not halfway done.