Callum Hudson-Odoi is rewarding Frank Lampard’s faith at Chelsea
Callum Hudson-Odoi did not touch the ball in the build-up to Chelsea’s third goal against Southampton. The statistics will show no involvement of any kind on his part. But the chance, converted by N’Golo Kante with the help of a deflection, would not have arisen without him.
First, there was the decoy run to drag Southampton right-back Jan Valery out of position and leave the overlapping Marcos Alonso in space to pick up Jorginho’s pass. Then, having accelerated forward to rejoin the attack, there was the dummy which allowed the Spaniard’s cut-back to roll through his legs to Kante, who was better positioned to take advantage.
That passage of play, which came just as Southampton were threatening an equaliser, showed selflessness and intelligence to match the explosive pace and dribbling ability that have marked him out as such a special talent. Hudson-Odoi is still only 18. This was his first Premier League start of the season. But he keeps finding new ways to impress.
Chelsea’s opening goal, for which he did register an assist, was another example. There seemed to be little on when he collected the ball inside his own half following a Southampton attack, but some 40 yards further forward, he spotted Tammy Abraham running beyond his man and picked him out with a raking pass which landed directly at his feet.
It was the kind of pass Cesc Fabregas produced in this Chelsea midfield not so long ago and it took Hudson-Odoi to three assists and one goal in just 220 minutes on the pitch this season.
The numbers are even more impressive considering he only recently returned from a serious injury. They might be higher, too, had he not spurned an opportunity of his own in the second half.
Hudson-Odoi’s performances have vindicated Frank Lampard for throwing him straight back into the Chelsea team. They also show why he is now considered to be such an important part of the club’s future.
It is less than a year ago that, frustrated by a lack of opportunity under Maurizio Sarri and amid interest from Bayern Munich, Hudson-Odoi handed in a transfer request. Now, though, he is tied to a long-term contract at the club and keeping the £58m Christian Pulisic out of the team.
Hudson-Odoi’s repertoire is widening by the week and there were plenty of examples of the things he does best against Southampton too.
Lampard was critical of his reluctance to run in behind during Chelsea’s demolition of Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup last month, but it was clear that he has heeded those comments from as early as the 11th minute at St Mary’s, when he latched onto a Cesar Azpilicueta through-ball and teed up Abraham for Chelsea’s first chance of the afternoon.
„That’s where I want him,“ said Lampard in his press conference afterwards. The Chelsea manager praised his work-rate out of possession, adding: „Staying tight to the midfield and then releasing themselves against the full-backs, it’s all the things I want from the wingers.“
Lampard has said that age is not a factor in his team selections, but it certainly helps that his young players possess maturity beyond their years. Hudson-Odoi is a maverick talent capable of game-changing moments of brilliance, but he also makes the right decisions. He knows he can beat his man, but his risks are calculated and he rarely over-plays.
In fact, on Sunday, he usually opted to keep things simple in possession, checking back and laying the ball off to a team-mate to help Chelsea retain possession during awkward periods of the game. Indeed, despite operating primarily in the final third, it was notable that Hudson-Odoi registered the second-highest pass success rate of Chelsea’s starters.
It’s little wonder Lampard is so pleased by his impact this season – or that the travelling Chelsea fans at St Mary’s were so vocal in sounding their appreciation. When he was substituted in the closing stages, the reception that followed him off the pitch was perhaps the loudest of the afternoon.
Where does his form leave Pulisic?
For Pulisic, the man who replaced him, this was a first Premier League appearance of any kind since the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United at the end of August.
The American arrived at Stamford Bridge to much anticipation during the summer, but until Sunday he had not made it off the bench in four consecutive Premier League games. He was not even named in the squad for Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Lille.
Pulisic aired his frustrations in an interview last week, while Lampard, for his part, has implied that the 21-year-old is not working hard enough in training. But a player who trudged down the tunnel without smiling after last weekend’s 2-0 win over Brighton cut a far happier figure after the final whistle at St Mary’s.
This time, he walked off arm-in-arm with team-mate Jorginho having made a notable contribution, his superb assist for Michy Batshuayi in the final few minutes of the game serving as a reminder of the ability that convinced Chelsea to part with £58m for his signature in the first place.
Pulisic will hope it is the first step towards winning Lampard over. He will hope it earns him increased opportunities in the months ahead. But the Hudson-Odoi performance that preceded his introduction suggests Lampard’s pecking order is unlikely to change any time soon. It’s the academy graduate’s place to lose now.
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
.
