The stat that proves Hudson-Odoi is Chelsea's MOST important player
Cameron Smith
- 28 Dec 2021 21:45 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea have become a force to be reckoned with under Thomas Tuchel, with the German guiding them to a Champions League crown, and improving a vast number of their players.
The 3-4-3 system works perfectly for the set of players available to Tuchel, and the likes of Mason Mount, and Antonio Rudiger have taken great strides under new management.
The Blues are in the hunt for the title, while the return of Romelu Lukaku is a much-needed boost.
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However, while some may say Mount, Rudiger, Lukaku, or even Reece James, N'Golo Kante or Jorginho are Chelsea's most important players, it's actually Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Now, the English winger often hasn't been a regular under Tuchel, but in recent weeks, he's made the left forward role his own. He's still yet to add a clinical nature to his game, but his creative number are simply superb.
Not only that, but there's one statistic that proves Hudson-Odoi has been Chelsea's most pivotal player under Thomas Tuchel.
Since the German has taken charge, Chelsea haven't lost a game in which Hudson-Odoi has started. That's 24 games in total, including 14 this season. When the Englishman is selected from the start, Chelsea never lose, and that's not a coincidence.
The Blues have 16 of the 24 matches that Hudson-Odoi has started under Tuchel, and the fact he's yet to lose when starting under the German is seriously impressive.
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Of course, Chelsea have an outstanding squad, and Hudson-Odoi's presence is far from the only reason they don't lose when he starts, but his creativity is remarkable.
Given the fact he rarely scores, Hudson-Odoi does rely on others to finish chances in order for Chelsea to win, but it's obvious his forte is creating those chances for others.
The Cobham academy graduate is in the top 5% of wingers in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries P90 over the past 12 months (10.45), while his 4.73 shot-creating actions P90 is in the top 10% using the same metric.
Only five Premier League players with more than 500 minutes are making more than his 2.6 key passes P90 this season as well, Kevin de Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Riyad Mahrez, Bruno Fernandes and Jack Grealish, and of players aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues, only Dominik Szoboszlai (2.8) and Florian Wirtz (2.7) create more than Hudson-Odoi.
He may not be the biggest name at Chelsea, or their best player, but under Tuchel, the facts don't lie - Hudson-Odoi has been Chelsea's lucky charm.
