The first Chelsea youth product to get his chance, in what seemed like decades. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was promised the world. Now he’s an enigma, struggling to make a mark in a newly ferocious team.
Rubey Dooby Doo, where are you?
The 2015/16 season offered little joy and only the faintest glimmer of hope. Chelsea fans clung to the wish that a youth product would finally step forward and follow in the footsteps of John Terry.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was not like the other academy members. For better or worse, he had not gone on loan 43 times. Heck, not even once! The young England under-whatever international looked like he was on the fast track to the first-team.
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Truthfully, it felt like he played a whole lot more than he actually did. He started four Premier League games, joined a league match as a substitute nine times and started one Champions League game. He rounded that out with appearances in two FA Cup games and one in that other cup competition.
He scored two goals and assisted three others playing with the big boys. His stats were decent for so few minutes – 0.9 shots per game, 0.3 key passes per game, 0.8 dribbles per game, drew 1.1 fouls per game, made 0.8 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per game.
Given the horror show he was stepping into, one could forgive him for shying away. Instead, Loftus-Cheek showed remarkable composure, technique and strength. He’s a big lad – capable of standing up to the men he was playing against.
By the end of last season he was certainly top of the youth pecking order. Granted, he had little real competition. He arguably had jumped ahead of Oscar.
Over the summer Loftus-Cheek was one of – if not THE – largest part of Chelsea/Adidas’ promotion campaign for the new season. Modelling new shirts, new Beats by Dre, new Adidas gear, you name it.
Spotted this in Istanbul. Looks like Adidas is pushing Ruben Loftus-Cheek as one of its up and coming stars. pic.twitter.com/BWYIGFV5yX
— The Pride of London (@PrideOLondon) May 26, 2016
This season he has spent more time in adverts than he has on the pitch.
You can understand the big push behind him. A new young prodigy, finally someone other than Terry to come through the heavily-criticized Chelsea academy. He showed his remarkable potential and did not look overawed. Also, you know, he’s not a bad looking guy, easy to advertise.
All that aside, he looked set to be a prime component of Antonio Conte’s changed midfield. N’Golo Kante’s brilliant tenacity coupled with Loftus-Cheek’s technique and guile.
It’s now nearly Christmas, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek hovers around sixth on the midfield depth chart. Kante, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Oscar are, unsurprisingly, ahead of him. But he has been overtaken by fellow youth product, Nathaniel Chalobah.
The comparison between the two is pretty stark. Chalobah is eager, adaptable and grateful – perhaps signs of his six loan spell experiences. Loftus-Cheek has been laboured, uncommitted and most of all, confused.
Maybe it is unfair to lay the confusion on him. One of Conte’s first, and most baffling, moves upon joining the Blues was declaring Loftus-Cheek would be a striker. OK?
Had Conte’s plan to mould Chelsea into a 4-2-4 playing side come to fruition, Loftus-Cheek almost certainly would have seen more minutes. If he is a striker, he would be the third choice – more due to lack of other options – behind Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi.
During the Blues’ run in the EFL Cup, Loftus-Cheek and Batshuayi were the two strikers. They were great against Bristol Rovers, linking up beautifully. But as the opposition stiffened, their influence declined.
Loftus-Cheek is 21 in January. He still has all the potential and all the physical tools. His attitude, though, has come into question. A lack of stamina and/or desire seems prominent whenever he plays. Understandable, then, that Conte did not trust him in his high-pressing, box-to-box two-man midfield.
The future of Chelsea’s midfield – either in a two-man 3-4-3, or a three-man 3-5-2 – could still very well be the English trio of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah and Lewis Baker. They all complement each other and have the tools necessary for a Premier League midfield.
For the present, Loftus-Cheek and Conte need to figure something out. One game against lesser opposition in the FA Cup is a good run out. It can also be his first opportunity to play in Chelsea’s new system, perhaps with Batshuayi in a 3-5-2. But neither Notts County nor Petersborough offers the same intensity or standard of play as the Premier League.
Chalobah has clearly earned Conte’s trust. Conte even used him to see out an away win against Manchester City. But even for Chalobah, that does not demonstrate his full ability.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek needs a chance to show what he can do in the starting XI in a Premier League game. Play him alongside Kante against, for example, Crystal Palace. If he is not performing, take him off at half-time or the hour mark. Then Conte will know with certainty what the club has with him. If the team are losing, you can hardly put that on the shoulders of a 20-year old.
Next: Antonio Conte's Chelsea finally becoming his 'chameleon'
What do you think, should Ruben Loftus-Cheek be given the chance? Is he a striker or midfielder? Let us know, or shout at us, or me, on Twitter.