Tuchel explains moving Hudson-Odoi to wing-back plus explaining the logic of putting players in new positions
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| Thomas Tuchel passes instructions down to Callum Hudson-Odoi |
Thomas Tuchel reveals the idea of playing Callum Hudson-Odoi as a right wing-back first entered his head when he and his assistants where on a plane to London preparing to begin their journey at Chelsea.
A success story for Tuchel has been deploying Callum-Hudson Odoi on the right hand side of a five during his early days in the job. Hudson-Odoi was voted man of the match by Chelsea supporters against Wolves and Burnley, the wing-back impressed with his direct running, used extra space provided to him in a more deeper position and showed tremendous willingness to defend when required.
However, it remains to be seen whether Tuchel will deploy a 3-4-2-1 system for the visit of Tottenham this evening , but whichever system he does choose it will be very tough to leave out Callum-Hudson-Odoi on this current form.
Tuchel said of the 20 year old 'I had no idea he hadn't played wing-back before.'
'Perhaps it was good thing I never asked because I would have doubted my own decision'
' I remember we had one training session before the Wolves game. Me and my assistants were flying in on the same day wondering what structure we should implement in order to give the team a positive feeling, and to make sure that we had a solid block defensively and were free to attack.'
'To play with a back four you need to be extremely disciplined , and the movements between the line of four need to be in synch.'
'We opted to go with a back five but we didn't want to be too defensive. We though about putting Reece and Callum on the right hand side in training. Callum fitted in perfectly plus we wanted to start with four attackers on the pitch right from the start.'
'We just allowed him to drive and he did very well, showing all of the qualities that he has: the high speed, the quick recoveries, the dribbles as well as being very good one-on-one.'
'He took his opportunity' said Tuchel. 'There was absolutely no need to change for the second match and he had another excellent game'.
'Maybe in some defensive aerial duels there is room for improvement, but this is completely normal. I was very happy to see him on the pitch. He has given his best and that is what we ask from him.'
This is not the first time that Tuchel has found a new role for a player, like what he has done for Hudson-Odoi since his arrival. Under Tuchel's management at Dortmund both Raphael Guerreiro and Gonzalo Castro found homes in central midfield positions whist at PSG Marquinhos, whose natural position was as a centre-back was often deployed in midfield.
Tuchel explained 'I only do this if I see something special in a player and if it's in a situation which will help the team.
'Only then will I hesitate to challenge or persuade the player, but certainly not against their own will. If we approach them we will show them pictures, we will explain to them and listen to their opinion and see if they are feeling comfortable.'
'At the end of the day there the ones who have to feel comfortable to bring the best of themselves in a game. With Callum I felt it was a big advantage as I was new to the job and it ha only been one day. Which player would possibly say no? Everybody was excited to start and he took his chance.'
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