Tuchel is not worried about Hudson-Odoi’s confidence or ability … when he starts

Thomas Tuchel’s solid start in life as Chelsea manager took a bit of a hit yesterday. No, he still hasn’t lost a game – although the 1-1 draw against Southampton was not something to overwrite – but he committed a cardinal sin in the eyes of the football gods by replacing a substitute without being asked by an injury.

The rarity of such an event ensured that it was central to any discussion after the match, regardless of how much it affected the actual outcome or not. It also ensured that such a discussion was basically an episode of overreaction theater.

Tuchel himself was more than willing to elaborate on his thought process, which of course did not help the situation either. Too much confidence in the audience, Tommy Cool, just like Christopher Nolan with Tenet.

But at the end of the day, both head coach and player have to move on from this disruption in power that has led to a million voices shouting in anguish, and have to start winning games again. Whether or not Twitter will be able to handle the decision that Hudson-Odoi will start against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday is one thing Tuchel will not play, however. He is more concerned about what he sees of Hudson-Odoi as an appetizer, versus Hudson-Odoi as a substitute.

“Tomorrow it’s over and maybe he’s starting against Atletico if we need his qualities. But then he has to be reliable and trustworthy and that is the next step for him. He’s a little in trouble when he gets off the bench, it was like that against Sheffield [United] and today.

‘So it’s up to him to improve because we need him off the bench in a few games to hang on in a different way. So it is now forgotten and he has to act, learn from it, swallow it, and there is no problem. ‘

It is ironic that it is Hudson-Odoi with whom Tuchel made his first public faux pas from the Chelseaverse, as the young winger has been a key feature of the new head coach’s game plans since day zero. The same can certainly not be said of Frank Lampard, who apparently could not rely as much on this one Chelsea Academy product as most of the Youth Revolution..

Southampton teen Chelsea - Premier League

Lampard sometimes (also) criticized Callum with similar problems with effort and attitude, but Tuchel was very generous with the 20-year-old and also reaped the rewards. The Chelsea onslaught did not have a lead, but Hudson-Odoi has so far been one of the sharper Blues.

If we can respond in a good way to this disastrous event, we must expect it to continue.

‘In a game that’s hard to create chances, you have to rely on back pressure to maybe make mistakes, get a second ball and get an easy chance. For that, you have to be completely on and completely sharp. I did not feel it from Callum today.

‘He missed the chances to push back, lost and easily lost balls. I had the feeling he was never really in the game. You know I trust him a lot because he plays every game for us, but today I was close to him and I do not know, maybe it was unfair, but I did not get the feeling today that I normally come from him because he can be crucial. ”

Tuchel has had several well-publicized replacement dramas (of the more common kind) with Kylian Mbappé at PSG, while we are reminded of a certain José Mourinho who also drew the same stunt with Nemanja Matić in 2015. Matic were obviously not entirely happy about it, but would eventually leave Chelsea a few years later to reunite with Mourinho at Manchester United. Football can be considered a ‘humiliation’, because football can be strange about certain things, but at the end of the day it’s just … well football. It is not life or death unless we want it to be.

Hudson-Odoi has already spoken positively about Tuchel, and vice versa. And of course on the scene, things were good, if not amazing. This moment may be a turning point in that relationship, and perhaps Tuchel’s time in Chelsea, but whether it will be in a positive or negative direction depends entirely on the principals involved.

“It was a tough decision, but nothing that will stay between us or stay long. Tomorrow it will be forgotten and we will prepare for Atletico. ”

‘No, absolutely not [worried it will affect his confidence]. Everyone needs to understand that I make decisions to win games, and there is no problem that he makes mistakes, has a bad game or a miss, but we can not even lack 10% or 5% of energy. That’s not possible.

“I know what he can give, so I trust him a lot. It will not change. He knows exactly what I demand of him and if he does not reach this level, it might mean a hard decision like today. It is not necessary to think in old-fashioned terms that this is the worst thing that can ever happen, no. ”

-Tomas Tuchel; source: Football.London

Chelsea’s next six games are against Atlético Madrid (twice), Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Leeds United. This run can definitely cause something worse to happen than replacing a replacement after 30 seconds for a clear reason (whether you agree with the reason or not).

We’re going on.

Source

Share this:

Related