Why Callum Hudson-Odoi HAS to start at left-wing for Chelsea

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 24 Oct 2021 06:00 CDT
• 5 min read

Callum Hudson-Odoi is a left winger, and he always has been.

Throughout his time at the academy, Hudson-Odoi was deployed on the left, with license to drift inside onto his stronger right foot, or get the the byline and deliver a cross. Either way, he was electric on the left.

A memorable goal against Liverpool's academy in which he picked up the ball on the halfway line before dancing through multiple challenges, rounding the 'keeper and slotting home is one particular example of how good he was for the youth sides.

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In fact, many youth experts believe he was the best youngster coming through the Chelsea academy at the time, and perhaps every academy.

His 2018 FA Youth Cup performance against Arsenal was yet further proof of the talent he possesses.

Hudson-Odoi then received his break into the Chelsea first-team under Maurizio Sarri. The presence of Eden Hazard ensured Hudson-Odoi was often deployed on the right, and even Willian was preferred on the left when Hazard was rested.

So, with his introduction to senior football coming on the right, it's perhaps little surprise that many neutrals view him as a right winger. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.

Playing on the right limits Hudson-Odoi's game massively. He's still a big talent playing on that side, but just like Jadon Sancho, he's far more productive on the opposite flank.

This is perhaps epitomised by his full England debut. He started the 5-1 win over Montenegro back in 2019, and incidentally started for his national team, before making a start in the Premier League.

Gareth Southgate initially started with Hudson-Odoi on the right wing, with Raheem Sterling on the left, but it didn't work. Hudson-Odoi looked out of place, and unable to find any space to work his magic. He was often crowded out, and the step-up to senior international football, even against Montenegro, looked like a monumental one. However, Southgate then decided to switch his wingers around, and Hudson-Odoi looked like a different player. He was beating his man regularly, driving inside to shoot on several occasions. Once it forced the goalkeeper to spill the ball for Ross Barkley to tap home, and another time came after a jinking run, and again the 'keeper foiled the Chelsea man.

Southgate described Hudson-Odoi's debut as "a fabulous performance," and it exemplified what he can do off the left flank.

Over two years later, and Hudson-Odoi only has three senior caps to his name. Now, of course, his Achilles injury has played a large part in that, and his luck has certainly been out.

That injury came at an awful time as Frank Lampard was just joining the club. If Hudson-Odoi had been fully fit, he likely would've been one of Lampard's key men from the left wing.

That wasn't the case, and Hudson-Odoi has been a bit-part player ever since. Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have come in for him, but Chelsea have rejected any advances as they know the talent they have on their hands.

Hudson-Odoi under Tuchel

Under Thomas Tuchel, Hudson-Odoi has experienced much of the same treatment - he's a rotation option, not a first choice one.

He has shown his tactical versatility by playing as a right wing-back, but that simply isn't his position.

Hudson-Odoi has filled in adequately there, but from that position, he isn't able to show anything like his full ability.

Playing off the left is where he can do that, and against Norwich he was handed that opportunity.

With Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner injured, Hudson-Odoi was finally given a chance to play as the left winger. Against a woeful Norwich side, he was excellent. He was on the scoresheet after a brilliant finish which followed some intelligent movement, the kind we haven't seen too often from him.

Not only that, but he was brimming with confidence all game. He may not have grabbed the headlines like Mason Mount did, but Hudson-Odoi was simply superb. It won't appear on the statistics, but his movement for Ben Chilwell's goal drew the defender away, allowing the former Leicester man to strike home, and his link-up play with Chilwell was crisp and Norwich couldn't get near the pair.

According to WhoScored, Hudson-Odoi failed to complete a dribble, but the eye test suggests that is far from accurate. He constantly drove into space past Norwich defenders, making Chelsea's left flank so dangerous while he was on the pitch. Mount's first goal came after the winger had burst down the line away from two defenders before delivering a cross, while he also created another excellent chance for Mount after drifting inside and playing a perfectly waited pass right into the English international's feet inside the box, which he failed to convert.

In the second-half, it was also Hudson-Odoi's cross that deflected off Max Aarons and beat Tim Krul at his near post, so he was perhaps unlikely not to be awarded the assist for that.

The most encouraging thing is, Hudson-Odoi wasn't even at his best. Since his injury, his willingness to beat his full-back has diminished significantly, but this time around at Stamford Bridge, that fear seemed to disappear.

It was his best performance in a while, and it was a statement to Tuchel to say that he deserves to start. If he's give more game time then Hudson-Odoi will only improve, and if his performance against Norwich is anything to go by, then this year could be the year Hudson-Odoi fully explodes.