Dario Essugo is still a very young midfielder, but the Portuguese has plenty of good examples at Chelsea that he can learn from.
Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia are not exactly old themselves, but the trio are already excellent midfielders.
Comparisons between Caicedo and Essugo have already been made, and Caicedo is ready to help Essugo and Andrey Santos.
But it is another midfielder whom Essugo really appears to be learning from at this moment in time.
Dario Essugo learning from Romeo Lavia
Lavia may not be as good at winning the ball back as Caicedo, but he has his own strengths and is someone who is having a positive influence on Essugo.
The 20-year-old has revealed that he has learnt so much from him since arriving at Chelsea.
“I am learning with the coach, the players, the midfielders here,” Essugo was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. “Enzo [Maresca] has a different idea of football like all the managers. But I always try to catch what he wants. Romeo Lavia is so calm I learn so much from him.”
Former Chelsea player Scott Minto is also a fan of Lavia, who he feels should have started in the Blues’ 3-1 defeat to Flamengo.
Maresca started Reece James alongside Caicedo in midfield that day, but Minto wanted to see Lavia, feeling that Chelsea do not have the same level of control without him.
With James not bringing much to the Blues’ engine room during that game, Chelsea fans will now be expecting either Lavia, Essugo or Santos to come into the side if Fernandez remains in the No.10 position next Wednesday.
Maresca’s men face Esperance Sportive de Tunis in their final group stage match of the Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca has faith in Dario Essugo
Essugo has only played around six minutes at the Club World Cup and did not feature against Flamengo. Maresca, though, is expecting big things from him in the future.
When Maresca spoke about Essugo in a recent interview, he said: “Dario Essugo, I have a good feeling about him, and he is working well with us. And Mike Penders is also another talented player.”
With the likes of Lavia and Caicedo around, though, breaking into Chelsea’s first XI and staying there will not be easy. It may be years before Essugo is a regular starter for the Blues.
