Callum Hudson-Odoi has had an impressive pre-season so far.
The young Englishman who was touted to become one of the best young players in the world has not lived up to expectations just yet, but that might soon be a thing of the past if he keeps up the rich vein of form that he has shown in Chelsea’s pre-season so far.
One of the main reasons behind his renaissance has been a change of position – Hudson-Odoi has featured on the left-wing more often instead of the right. And the change of flank has brought results, as seen from footage from a recent training game.
Chelsea’s match against Drogheda United was cancelled due to a COVID-19 scare in the camp, and hence the Blues had to resort to hosting a training match instead.
The 20-year-old Hudson-Odoi saw this as an opportunity to impress, and so he did – being one of the best players in the game, running proceedings from the left flank.
In clips from the footage of the match that has since gone viral on social media, Hudson-Odoi showed nimble feet to get past defenders, cutting in on his strong right foot and scoring past the goalkeeper – encouraging signs for a Chelsea fan with his best interests at heart.
It must also be noted that Christian Pulisic – head coach Thomas Tuchel’s alternative to Timo Werner on the left flank – started the match on the right flank.
Pulisic’s change of flank meant that Hudson-Odoi could start the match in his natural position, and his team reaped the rewards.
Hudson-Odoi’s performances in the position where he has featured in all youth levels for Chelsea will give Tuchel a massive selection headache, but the manager would not be complaining as it is a competition that keeps the best of teams ticking – the champions of Europe are no exception to this.
