A few of Chelsea’s attackers have been asked to play in unfamiliar positions recently due to needs must.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad was hit with injuries, Covid-19, fatigue, and fixture congestion in the last two months and this forced him to adapt, and that meant at times playing players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic away from their preferred positions, especially the latter, who has expressed his frustrations at this recently.
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Hudson-Odoi becomes the latest to speak about how he prefers to play in his more natural attacking role, but he also accepts that at the same time playing as a wing-back has improved his defensive game, and even wingers have to defend sometimes so that is a good thing.
However, we need these guys playing in their best positions going forward now we are seeing a closer to fully fit squad once again and after a good break in play.
“I’d definitely say I prefer more-attacking positions for myself, as a winger or a No.10 kind of player,” Hudson-Odoi told the Chelsea website.
“Obviously I like to be direct and try to create scoring opportunities for the team, hopefully try to score some myself. Playing in that position I’m more comfortable and I feel more free while playing there as well.
“So it’s definitely a nice position, to know that I can go out there, be myself, be free and try to create and score goals as well, but at the same time playing at wing-back is definitely more defensive. Your mentality is more about defending the goal than attacking the goal at times.
“In that position you always have to cover for somebody. For example, if the centre-back goes forward you have to cover in, just to make sure and be around. So it’s definitely a different position, definitely harder, so I’d say definitely an attacking position is what I prefer.
“There are times in a game when I’m playing wing-back and I’m looking forward and thinking I can go forward here, but then I know, just in case, if I do and we then lose the ball and it’s a counter-attack the run back is very far.
“So sometimes you decide to stay back. It depends, it’s always different situations in the game where I’m thinking I can go forward here and I can create a chance from this position or even score, but it’s vice versa and it depends on how the scenario is in the game.
“I think it’s added more to my defensive side. Playing wing-back is more defensive-minded, so you have to judge when to lunge in for a tackle, not just recklessly going in, or making sure you’re in the right position when you’re covering for a team-mate, or if you’re one-on-one against an attacker you just have to make sure you stand your ground and show him outside or inside where there’s more bodies.
“For myself it’s definitely added a defensive side to my game and it helps as well, especially if you’re playing higher up the pitch, for the pressing side and knowing how to defend from the front. So it’s definitely good.”
I’m a Chelsea fan and I’ve been watching their matches as often as I can; I’m bowled over by some Chelsea youngsters namely Callum Hudson Odoi who’s my country man, Pulisic, Kai Harvertz, Reece James and my super star choice is Hakim Ziyech. One thing that runs through all these young boys is, if you want to watch good good football, these guys will guarantee you that. Whiles the premier league itself is very physical, these boys bring a lot of intelligence in their play, especially Ziyech, Pulisic and Kai Harvertz. These guys bring a lot of finesse into their game and I wish Tuchel never drops them. They are so delightful to watch and so classy they make football so ‘romantic’, that is why they’re always at the end of some brutal tackles. Reece has a mix of great footballing and is physical, but the rest are so intelligent with their delivery they make Chelsea so classy, especially Hakim Ziyech. He’s so laid back but his football intelligence is top top drawer; I wish he’s unstoppable. I forgot to mention our future captain Mason Mount. Please let’s try and keep these boys at Chelsea. I’ve not seen a group of footballers who are brimming with so much intelligence, other clubs have a sprinkling of one or two, but Chelsea has about 6 to 8 who make watching football a top delight.