Thomas Tuchel’s decision to sub-off substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at St.Mary’s Stadium against Southampton came as somewhat of a surprise to the Chelsea faithful.
The attacker was brought on at half-time for Tammy Abraham, who just returned from a minor ankle setback. But just over 30 minutes later, Tuchel made an exceptional decision to bring Hudson-Odoi off – stating he felt the Englishman was ‘never into the game’.
The German manager said it was a hard decision to make but nonetheless trusts Hudson-Odoi to make an impact in Chelsea’s revitalized season.
After the Southampton match, Tuchel spoke exclusively to Chelsea TV, saying:
“Tomorrow it (the incident) is forgotten and we prepare for Atletico. I take decisions to win games and it is not a problem that he makes a mistake or he misses but we cannot lack energy.”
He cleared off any lingering doubts in the minds of critics regarding Hudson-Odoi’s status in the team:
“I know what he can give and that is why I trust him a lot and that will not change but he knows exactly what I demand from him. It is not the worst thing that can happen.”
With Atletico Madrid awaiting Tuchel’s men, he said the attacker may well be handed a starting position but needs to do better when coming on from the bench.
“He could start against Atletico but he needs to be reliable and this is the next step for him. He has trouble when he comes from the bench. It was like this against Sheffield United and it was again today. It is on him to improve because we need him sometimes from the bench. He has to accept and learn from it.”
The Blues’ next stop will be Bucharest, Romania, in a season energized by the German’s presence in the dugout.
