“He needs to overcome this gap to fight for his place” – Tuchel sends strong warning to Chelsea player after Aston Villa win
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi started his first Premier League game of the season in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admits the right wing-back position isn’t Hudson-Odoi’s favourite position but insists he can do better.
Tuchel said: “Callum has to overcome the gap between training and games. I see a stronger Callum every day in training and he needs to overcome this gap and show this kind of determination that he shows in training.
“If he gets minutes, it’s never a gift. Nobody gets gifts because we take maybe sometimes hard decisions like for Callum not to let him go. He needs to deserve it.
“I know it’s not his favourite position but I think he can play this position and serve the team when it’s necessary. Today it was necessary and still he can do better. Still he can be more aggressive, still he needs to push himself absolutely to the limits.
“This is what he does in training. He needs to overcome this gap to fight for his place in the squad. This is life at Chelsea.”