When Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea, he set about creating a tactical frame work that players could plug in and out of without sacrificing the system’s integrity. He did this, in part, with lot of interchangeable parts within the units of back three, pivot, wingback, and front three.
Not every player had an immediately obvious spot. Christian Pulisic bounced around a few ways. He also was benched more often than not as Tuchel tried to figure out where he fit in the framework. Once left forward was found to be the answer, Pulisic began to start more as his role became clear.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is facing a similar confusion. The younger winger was a wingback in the early days before being dropped. Since then, most of his cameos have come as an attacker. Does Thomas Tuchel see Callum Hudson-Odoi as more of a wingback or attacker, and what does that mean for Chelsea going forward?
It is important to keep in mind that, regardless of where Hudson-Odoi plays, he fits into the larger attacking band of five. Tuchel’s attacking formation at full throttle is a 3-2-5 and Hudson-Odoi is always somewhere in that five. It is just a matter of whether he is stretching play as a wingback or looking for space as a forward.
There are arguments for both. Hudson-Odoi as a wingback will almost always play on the right and from the right he is generally more cautious with his movement. This makes him more creative which is a surprisingly applicable skillset for a winger. Defensively is where things become tricky. Wingbacks have to be capable of pressing high and smartly while also knowing when it is time to retreat. Having both skillsets is tricky for young players in general, but especially ones trained as attackers by trade.
As an attacker, Hudson-Odoi tends to form up on the left. From the left, he likes to cut inside and is generally more aggressive in his play. He’ll create less for others that way but he’ll do more on the dribble and with shots. The main issue with him in that position is Tuchel doesn’t appear to like players taking those kinds of risks. It is likely why Hakim Ziyech has fallen out of favor and why Hudson-Odoi more often than not plays on the right to make himself more considerate.
Overall, however, the main question may be about depth. Even if Chelsea brings in no players over the summer, the Blues are pretty stacked up top. Tuchel has viewed the front three as pretty interchangeable, but it is hard to make an argument for Hudson-Odoi being higher than fifth in that depth chart. He has an easier time at wingback, but Cesar Azpilicueta’s recent turn as a (mostly) effective wingback puts that in doubt.
If Chelsea adds the goal scoring attacker in the summer that has been rumored since January, that will only make things harder on Hudson-Odoi. A loan wouldn’t be out of order but it may be more beneficial for him to stay under Tuchel, provided his position is made clearer.
Perhaps the real trick to all of this will come if Chelsea does field four at the back at times next season. That will shift some attackers into midfield and alleviate pressure in depth for Hudson-Odoi to play more. Tuchel does seem to have ideas for the youngster, there just remains some disconnect between seeing them on the pitch.
Overall, the conversation is mostly about attack versus creativity as well as defensive duties. Hudson-Odoi is raw and needs playing time to develop both, but that may require his position being made clearer, as well as his ultimate place on the depth chart going into next season.