Chelsea’s new boss, Thomas Tuchel, got to see his first Premier League game in charge after roughly 24 hours at the club. The XI was picked for experience and the formation was altered as the Blues went 0-0 to a struggling Wolves side. What lessons were learned in the match?
1. Callum Hudson-Odoi is going to make it big, irrespective of manager or position
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been one of Chelsea’s brightest players throughout the season. While his chances have been rather limited, he clawed and scratched his way into the starting lineup under Frank Lampard and literally forced the gaffer to pick him due to his performances.
While Hudson-Odoi put in a poor performance against Leicester City, he was absolute ecstatic against Wolves. He started in a rather unfamiliar role of right wingback in a an extremely advanced position. Hudson-Odoi was direct and kept running at the Wolves backline causing all sorts of problems for Rayan Ait-Nouri, Wolves’ left wingback. The young Englishman looked so dangerous that Nuno, Wolves’ head coach, had to take Ait-Nouri off as he sensed the sort of damage that Hudson-Odoi could create. Nuno put Semedo there, but even he struggled against 20-year-old.
Last night’s heatmap shows Hudson-Odoi majorly in the opposition half. However, the Chelsea wonderkid was equally adept in the defensive phase as well, as he was seen tracking back effectively on numerous occasions. There was even a moment when Hudson-Odoi ended a dangerous counter from Wolves in Chelsea’s box.
Hudson-Odoi put some crisp cross into the box and they were placed in really dangerous areas. The Blues failed to finish the majority of those crosses, however, on another day, those would have turned into multiple goals. Overall, this performance was a reminder that Hudson-Odoi is destined for big things with Chelsea Football Club, and he will make it big, irrespective of the position, irrespective of the manager.