Chelsea fans are witnessing a second coming. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is slowly but surely rediscovering the imperious form that stole Blues’ fans hearts just over two years ago. It’s been a long road to recovery for the now 25-year-old, one that has been far from easy. Once the pride of the Chelsea academy, Loftus-Cheek was due to make his long-awaited return to the Blues before COVID-19 forced him back on to the sidelines. An uninspiring loan at Fulham had only flashes of his abilities. He impressed Thomas Tuchel in preseason and won his spot in the squad as a result.
He was unlikely to be considered a regular starter in a team that boasts Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, as well as the arrival of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid. Most thought he would be a cup player at best, certainly with Chelsea prime contender on five fronts, any minutes he was going to get, he had to warrant. Loftus-Cheek’s lack of minutes in the first games of the season seemed to confirm that fact. That was until his performance in the English League Cup against Aston Villa.
Chelsea supporters are witnessing a revival in the form of Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Villa gave Chelsea a real test throughout the night, but Loftus-Cheek was more than ready for the challenge. In a game that saw Kante look worryingly off the pace, Saul was solid—if uneventful—but Loftus-Cheek starred. Even if at first he looked like he might be tripping over his own feet, the midfielder started to trust himself more as the game went on.
Initially just playing short passes, curtailing his game to a metronomic Jorginho imitation, as the game called for a higher tempo, Loftus-Cheek obliged. He outworked a Villa midfield and threw in a few surging runs for good measure. Loftus-Cheek was the most impressive on the pitch, including getting the better of another academy graduate, Mason Mount. Albeit, Mount did take a knock in the game, which kept him out of the match against Manchester City. While Loftus-Cheek is certainly benefitting from a niggling injury to Mount moving him up the pecking order, he has been fully deserving of the minutes that Tuchel has handed to him.
Credit to his performance against Aston Villa, Tuchel opted to hand Loftus-Cheek minutes off the bench against Man City with Chelsea chasing the game. Once again, he impressed. The 25-year-old was calm against the suffocating City press, and broke free a number of times through midfield when the game really opened up in the last 10 minutes. It was a performance that caught the eye of Tuchel, who singled out Loftus-Cheek for praise after the loss. Many expected that Loftus-Cheek would be shipped out on loan this season, but he is showing that he actually offers something that none of the other Chelsea midfielders can.
Tuchel has shown that he likes to deploy Loftus-Cheek in the middle of the park in a holding role usually occupied by Jorginho. What gives Loftus-Cheek a real opportunity, and a consistent claim to make the team, is his ability to dribble. While he isn’t going to be displacing the Italian or Kovacic any time soon, he brings a new element to this Blues side that they don’t have without Mount: a true link between the midfield and attack. Hakim Ziyech has so far proved his isn’t capable of consistently providing that link, and while Kovacic has been excellent so far, he links the play with his passing.
To have a different option in the midfield is a real asset to Chelsea, to Tuchel and potentially to the England National Team. Without the energy, passing and movement of Mount against City, Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner were deprived of much service of any kind. When Loftus-Cheek came on, that changed. Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho looked almost scared to ask questions of the City midfield, wary perhaps of getting caught out. With Chelsea chasing the game, Loftus-Cheek was able to exploit the gaps that started to open in the middle of the park. He did what none of the other midfielders had done in the first 75 minutes of the game—he played without fear.
Blues fans have seen Loftus-Cheek in three successive games since Zenit in the Champions League. If he keeps up the all-encompassing midfield displays he has been turning in, supporters will be seeing a lot more of him, and singing his name ever louder in the future.