Ruben Loftus-Cheek started for Chelsea in their pre-season opener against Rapid Vienna. In a lackluster match for the Blues, Loftus-Cheek failed to rise to the occasion. How many chances will Antonio Conte give him?
Preseasons are a riddle. Unless someone gets injured the results are fairly meaningless. The only thing losses do, really, is give opposing fans a scoreline to mock. So yes, Chelsea’s 2-0 loss with a manager that began instructing his players less than a week ago with a quarter of his starting squad still on vacation is meaningless.
Individually, however, preseasons matter more for some than others. For players on the bubble – young players looking for their big break, older players hoping to hang on – pre-season is serious business. The matches and their efforts in those matchs had better be meaningful.
So given an accomplished U21 resume, a dearth of first team playing time and a new hard-as-nails manager who has proven to also be fair, Ruben Loftus-Cheek should have been sensing nothing but opportunity.
must read: Chelsea FC player evaluations 2015/16: Ruben Loftus-Cheek
With Hazard, Fabregas, and Pedro not yet around, Antonio Conte started Loftus-Cheek in his favored attacking midfield position. The 6’3”185lb midfielder who has run rings around every level of youth development was given a meaningful chance. Future spots in the starting XI were his for the taking in Vienna.
Instead, splat.
Protected by Mikel and Nemanja Matic against Rapid Vienna, Loftus-Cheek swiftly grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and drunkenly asked “Which way to the loo?”
The times the young stud was invisible were his best showings. The times in which he was noticeable he seemed to be confused, lost or unbothered by the events unfolding around him.
There are a number of reasons that could explain his apathy, it’s just really unfortunate that you have to look for them. Loftus-Cheek is getting to the point where he can no longer complain about a lack of chances. He’s a solid talent, and with his size could be a rare and indomitable midfield orchestrator.
Among the many adjectives used to described Antonio Conte, “tolerant” is not one. The man who says he only knows one verb – “work, work and work” – will not give a free pass for a lack of effort. The man who gets a full aerobic workout and a bloody nose on an international touchline demands every one of his players matches his #passion. And the man whose formations are a combination of high strategy and fine art has no place for someone who is already out of his element in a pre-season friendly.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek let a top opportunity to impress Antonio Conte slip by yesterday. Once Hazard and Fabregas return, Loftus-Cheek will be back to scrounging for playing time. Strikers are not the only ones who need to exploit gaps and live opportunistically.
Next: Victor Moses a bright spot in Chelsea defeat
Since his first team debut two years ago, Chelsea has patiently waited for Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s breakthrough performance. After every chance, the big man tells us to wait some more. How many more chances will he have?