How Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to Chelsea stardom
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 18 Apr 2022 14:16 BST
- 5 min read
The opening goal in Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final win over Crystal Palace was simply the icing on the cake for Ruben Loftus-Cheek following rave reviews from his performances against Southampton and Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel has revealed he's a great admirer of the midfielder, but the Chelsea academy graduate hasn't had an easy return to the top of the game.
30 May 2019. When all progress stopped. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a Chelsea regular under Maurizio Sarri at the time. He'd spent the previous year on loan at Crystal Palace and his form at Selhurst Park earned him an England call-up, similar to a midfielder currently on loan at the Eagles from Chelsea.
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However, unlike Conor Gallagher so far, Loftus-Cheek was selected for England's 2018 World Cup squad.
An injury to Dele Alli during the tournament meant the 6ft3in midfielder was handed starts against Panama and twice against Belgium. His form on the biggest stage caught the eye and was confirmation that he was ready to return to Stamford Bridge.
Back at Chelsea for the beginning of the 2018/19 season eager to prove himself at his boyhood club, Loftus-Cheek did exactly that. He struck up a harmonious relationship with Chelsea's dynamic attacker Eden Hazard, and he begun to stamp his authority on the first-team.
The first academy player to break through into the senior side in years, Loftus-Cheek was the outlier in a long list of youth-team stars who couldn't make the step up. A man mountain at youth level, Loftus-Cheek continued to impress in the Premier League and he was critical to their run to the Europa League final, in which they beat Arsenal.
He combined his physical talents with a graceful technical ability rarely seen in the English game. It was a refreshing sight in West London, and he looked like a future star.
But, Loftus-Cheek was cruelly denied a chance to play in the aforementioned final thanks to a friendly organised against England Revolution just days before the game. The fixture was arranged in order to raise money for charity and Chelsea ran out 3-0 winners, but the biggest story of all was Loftus-Cheek. The midfielder looked primed and ready to start the Europa League final after scoring four and assisting three in the earlier rounds of the competition, but suffered a horrific Achilles injury that completely halted his progression.
He was sidelined for nearly a year with his calf size shrinking by half, which caused some to suggest it was a career-ending injury, and for a while that seemed true. He played as a false nine in Chelsea's first game of the 2020/21 campaign, but looked off the pace and was soon shipped off to Fulham on loan for the season.
Loftus-Cheek failed to impress at Craven Cottage and he arrived back at Chelsea in pre-season with little expectations surrounding him.
However, slowly but surely he's worked his way into Thomas Tuchel's thinking. Having featured as a box-to-box number eight, which is his regular position, a lone defensive midfielder, a centre-back, and a right-wing-back over the last few months, Loftus-Cheek's versatility has been tested and he's passed with flying colours.
He has been preferred to both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante separately in recent weeks and it's no surprise. Tuchel has publicly spoken of his admiration of Loftus-Cheek, and said: "He hid his talent and potential for a long time in his career. He is capable of producing performances that everyone sees on the pitch. For him, it is step by step that he continues to grow in confidence."
The midfielder has shown flashes of brilliance this season, such as against Malmo in the Champions League group stages, but also moments of weakness, such as his performance as the defensive midfielder in the 4-1 home loss to Brentford. However, his talent has reared its head once more on the world stage and Loftus-Cheek has shown he's ready to star for Chelsea again, like he did in 2018/19.
A big week
A little shoehorned in against Southampton, Loftus-Cheek played in an unfamiliar right-wing-back role, but he was excellent. His threat down the right caused the Saints problems all game, and it gave Tuchel enough confidence to stick with it against Real Madrid.
Away in Madrid, Loftus-Cheek again featured as an auxiliary right-wing-back, but pushed infield to cause a tactical headache to Carlo Ancelotti's side when Chelsea were in possession.
Not the easiest role to fulfil, but Loftus-Cheek did it perfectly.
Then he scored the opener off the bench at Wembley to mark his first Chelsea goal since 2019. A redemption arc for the talented graduate of the Cobham academy.
He's played his way into the starting XI and although reports have detailed Chelsea's interest in Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni, Loftus-Cheek won't be going anywhere this summer. Tuchel is clearly a big fan, and he's managed to recover from his injury and begin to pave a future at Stamford Bridge for himself.
His form has gone completely under-the-radar, but Loftus-Cheek is in the 99th percentile of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues for dribbles and progressive carries P90 this year according to Fbref.com, not bad for a rotation option.
An anomaly in the Chelsea midfield, Loftus-Cheek is a wildcard that Tuchel now has at his disposal, and he's one that looks set to be used plenty.
