Chelsea FC player evaluations 2015/16: Ruben Loftus-Cheek

How did Ruben Loftus-Cheek fare this season? Let’s delve into the Chelsea FC youngster’s performances as we continue to review the 2015/16 season.

I am delighted to be able to evaluate Chelsea FC youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Being able to review him actually means that he received some game time upon which I can pen this article. Let’s get cracking then.

With the departure of Jose Mourinho, the youth at Chelsea have benefited to a large extent. The ‘Special One’, with his lofty ambitions as always, has been often criticized for only working with the top level players and not integrating youngsters in the system.

This was evident during Jose’s title winning 2014/15 season. Loftus-Cheek was afforded only 6 appearances; this season under Guus Hiddink he has been given 17. This campaign can be regarded as some sort of partial breakthrough for the talented youngster where he made appearances in three different competitions – the Premier League, the FA Cup and impressively in the Champions League. He even scored a couple of goals to top it all off.

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Hiddink used Ruben in a very intelligent manner this season. Having said that, I wanted him to play more against quality opposition when the Blues no longer had anything to play for this season. As he did not get many chances earlier, I guess along with Guus, Ruben himself was confused regarding what position would suit him the best. So he was deployed in various spots in the midfield for evaluation.

In some matches he was deployed in the number 10 role just behind the striker. Personally, I enjoyed his game play in that position. He has a good eye for the intricate passes while he possesses good pace with which he can run at defenders during counters. He does need some more work in that position but he has been quite impressive.

The youngster has a tall structure standing at 6ft 4in. It is often said that with such a height, balance is hard to keep. But he defies this as he also has a great balance when he is on the ball. There was a moment in the last game of the season against Leicester where Loftus-Cheek received the ball in Leicester’s penalty box. Surrounded by the opposing team players, he was able to pass it to an oncoming Chelsea player. It was like seeing a younger Cesc Fabregas, twisting and turning in tight spots but still retaining possession.

At certain times he was deployed in a more defensive role along with Nemanja Matic or John Obi Mikel. In that particular position he showed a decent capability to balance his play. He was striding forward with the ball like Matic but also had the control to hold ground and keep guard at the back. He was able to place some well timed tackles as well. Furthermore, he has shown that Lampard-esque characteristic where he makes a dashing run into the box from the deep.

On one side, he can thrive in the central attacking role but he also has the capability to put in a shift in a deeper position. Although I would want him to become a traditional number 10, the incoming manager has some work do regarding developing him to play in a particular spot.

The point is that whenever he has been given a chance he didn’t deter or show immaturity. At times, due to inexperience, many of the youth players misplace passes, or take unnecessary shots in a bid to impress in the limited time they get. Loftus-Cheek on the other hand, to me, made a smooth transition into the squad and at times looked like a regular in the first team.

The Chelsea academy has brilliant prospects but unfortunately the club in their search for instant success has not been able to integrate and develop them into established senior players. Ruben Loftus-Cheek can be the next big thing after John Terry at Stamford Bridge. The onus now is on Antonio Conte to make Loftus-Cheek realize his potential.

Next: Tomas Kalas tempted by permanent Chelsea FC departure

Check out the rest of the pieces in this series at the hub page!