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Hudson-Odoi gamble paying off for Tuchel at Chelsea

Callum Hudson-Odoi had never played at wing-back before Thomas Tuchel's arrival but has quickly established himself as first choice at Chelsea.

By Dom Farrell
Callum Hudson-Odoi

London, February 4: Thomas Tuchel might not have been bold enough to ask Callum Hudson-Odoi to play at wing-back for Chelsea had it not been his first day on the job.

England international Hudson-Odoi, often a marginal figure during Frank Lampard's tenure, has been the biggest success story of Tuchel's first week in charge at Stamford Bridge.

An energetic and creative presence operating across the full length of the right flank, he was a surprise selection for the 0-0 draw against Wolves last week and retained his place for the 2-0 win over Burnley.

Ahead of Thursday's London derby against Tottenham, Tuchel conceded he did not know he was asking Hudson-Odoi to take a plunge into the unknown.

"No, maybe it was good I didn't ask [if he had played at wing-back before] because I would have doubted my decision," he said.

"As you know, we only had one training session before the Wolves game. We were flying in on the same day with all the staff and wondering what kind of structure we can implement and give the team a good feeling to be solid defensively and also attack freely.

"To defend with four you have to be very, very disciplined and synchronised. So, we opted to defend with five but we didn't want to be too defensive, so tried Reece [James] and Callum on the right side in training and he did very good.

"All the qualities he has, the high speed and quick recoveries. He can give us a huge amount of high-speed runs and dribbles and one-on-ones.

"He took his chance in the first game, there was no need to change for the second game. Maybe in some defensive duels in the air there is some space to improve, but I'm happy."

Asking players to be flexible and change positions is one of Tuchel's calling cards, with Marquinhos' conversion from a centre-back into a dominant central midfielder at Paris Saint-Germain one of his standout innovations.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss says the team must always benefit overall in order to justify these switches, although he joked Hudson-Odoi or any other Chelsea players were unlikely to object to suggestions from a freshly installed head coach.

"Only will I do it if I see something in a player that can benefit the team. With Callum there was a big advantage - I was new, there was one day, so which player would say 'no'?" he asked.

"If we see something that can move players from a position to another, we try to convince them, but not against their will.

"We show them pictures and explain to them and, of course, we listen to their opinion on if they feel comfortable."

As Tuchel noted, Hudson-Odoi won neither of the aerial duels he contested in the Wolves and Burnley games, but he has been far more prominent in other respects.

In each game he made 10 passes into the penalty area, creating six chances overall. The assist for Cesar Azpilicueta's opener against Burnley was one of four openings crafted over the course of the 90 minutes.

Against Wolves, the 20-year-old attempted five dribbles - more than he has in any other appearance this season - and made as many recoveries in an all-action performance.

This capacity to combine moments of creative ingenuity with hard work for the cause looks like a perfect recipe to endear Hudson-Odoi to his new coach.

"I believe in a disciplined structure on the field and the respect from everybody on the pitch for his position," Tuchel added.

"It gives us the chance to play quicker, everybody knows where the other guy is in this moment. And in the moment of losing the ball, we know where we are and can start effective counter-pressing.

"There are a lot of choices to make in the blink of an eye and this has to stay with the players and stay with their qualities. Maybe Mason Mount goes with a different solution to Hakim Ziyech or Kai Havertz. This has to be the choice and the creativity of the players.

"For me it’s to have to mix of respecting your zone and your structure and the creativity of the players. We challenge them in training to give them the tools that they have to use in the games."

Story first published: Thursday, February 4, 2021, 12:13 [IST]
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