Callum Hudson-Odoi was the breakout performer of Chelsea‘s preseason, and the 17-year-old was duly handed a start in the Blues’ Community Shield fixture against Manchester City.
Unfortunately, though he showed flashes of his potential, he was just short of his preseason form and couldn’t prevent his side from falling to a 2-0 loss.
Here’s a closer look at his performance.
KEY STATS
Goals – 0
Assists – 0
Shots – 2
Shots on target – 1
Key Passes – 0
Passing Accuracy – 90%
Dribbles – 1
30-SECOND REPORT
Hudson-Odoi’s biggest advantage in preseason was that he was quicker than the defenders facing up to him. On Sunday, however, he had Kyle Walker lining up against him, and that pace advantage was negated, limiting the youngster’s effectiveness.
However, he still showed glimpses of the talent that had observers purring during the summer, outshining some of his senior Chelsea colleagues.
GOT RIGHT
Decision-making – The young Englishman was smart on the ball, completing some crisp passes in the final third and also showing an unexpected maturity. He wasn’t running up cul-de-sacs trying to dribble his way out of trouble – unlike Pedro, Chelsea’s other wide player.
Running at the defence – Hudson-Odoi’s pace and ability on the ball kept driving City back, even if they had him contained by the end.
Hudson-Odoi again proving he is the main threat for Chelsea, despite being only 17-years-old. Very difficult to stop when he runs at you, even if you're a world class defender. #CFC #MCFC #CommunityShield
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 5, 2018
GOT WRONG
Though Hudson-Odoi looked confident whenever he was on the ball, he seemed a little timid without it – he should have been demanding his teammates to find him more often. Only Alvaro Morata had fewer touches than his 35 among the Chelsea starters. Hopefully he gets more minutes and grows in confidence in order to command his team’s attention as much as opposing defences’.
VERDICT
Against a City defence well aware of the threat Chelsea’s young sensation poses, and well-equipped to deal with it, Hudson-Odoi still ended up being his side’s most dangerous attacking player. There are definitely kinks to work out in his game, and he wasn’t as effective as in his previous summer performances, but this was still a display full of promise.
RATING: 6/10
