Graham Potter’s wild Chelsea wing-back strategy has method in its madness | Jacob Steinberg


Using Sterling and Pulisic as wing-backs is not without risk but it makes the team less predictable and is fun when it clicks

Callum Hudson-Odoi never really enjoyed playing as a right wing-back. He tried his best when Thomas Tuchel put him there after becoming Chelsea’s head coach in January 2021 but the role never felt a natural fit. “At times, it was OK,” Hudson-Odoi said in an interview with the Athletic this week. “But sometimes in my head I’m thinking: ‘What am I doing, why am I in this position? I’m more defending than attacking.’”

All that running towards his own goal took a toll on Hudson-Odoi, cramping the winger’s style, and the result was his departure from Chelsea in August. A loan to Bayer Leverkusen represented a fresh start for the 21-year-old, who is relishing the chance to show what he can do as a conventional winger.

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