Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi made all the headlines after he was taken off against Southampton, despite coming on as a sub in the second half of the match.
This immediately sent shockwaves across the English football circuit with multiple reports claiming that the new manager is not too pleased with the 20-year-old and that Tuchel might look to offload him in the summer.
But according to pundit Rio Ferdinand, Callum Hudson-Odoi should take this particular incident in his stride and try to prove his worth to Thomas Tuchel during the remainder of the season.
Rio told on his Five Youtube channel: “I saw a lot of people’s comments afterwards saying it was out of order, it was this, it was that. But listen, if it can’t be true at any other club but Chelsea, it’s a results driven game. So the manager is going to do what is best for the team.
“Because at Chelsea it’s been shown, don’t care who you are, you don’t get time. So there’s no opportunity being wasted to improve a result or a team performance. So Tuchel did what he thought was best for the team and I respect that.
“Now if you’re looking at it from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s position there’s two ways you can take it. You can be bitter and sulk and throw your toys out the pram and say it’s a liberty, you feel disrespected, it’s out of order – which I can understand to a certain extent. Or you roll your sleeves up and say you won’t let it happen again, ‘I’m embarrassed, my pride’s been shot to pieces with that, it’s live on TV, everyone’s talking about it, that is a liberty and I’m not letting it happen again’. And how he’s not going to let that happen is he has to draw himself a roadmap.
“It’s not about sulking, it’s about saying to yourself: ‘Right, this manager is not going to get the opportunity to do that to me ever again because I’m going to make sure’. The manager’s comments after were roughly around that he didn’t work hard enough off the ball in terms of pressure and stuff like that, so don’t allow for that ever again. And you might not even agree with the manager in that sense, but you go over and above board next time so there’s no room for him to even mutter those words or speak about it or try and point in your direction.
“You do everything, and your body language – sometimes you do more running or you do more of something so your body language shows somebody: ‘Wow! He’s going for it!’ I think that’s what Callum has to do, it’s not about sulking, he can’t afford to do that.
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“These seasons go quick. He’s already had a big injury and now he’s got himself into a good position where he’s in and around the manager’s thoughts to play – and he’s probably been one of the better performers since the new manager has come in.
“So don’t let this little hiccup or bobble in the road destabilise his future with this manager and Chelsea, because I’m sure he wants to become a Chelsea regular and influence games. Get your head down, that’s all you can say.
“It’s about getting your head down and grafting. Callum can not take it personally, it’s the worst thing he can do, do not allow for people in your camp to make excuses, don’t allow that to creep in. Take it as a hint to roll your sleeves up and Tuchel is looking for the right positive reaction and give it to him.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi got to start vs Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 this week but the youngster had another average performance. The 20-year-old managed to make only 40 passes during his 80 minutes on the pitch and Whoscored gave him a rating of 6.8 out of 10.
Next up, Chelsea take on Manchester United in the Premier League and it will be interesting to see if Thomas Tuchel sticks with Callum Hudson-Odoi as the right wing-back or does he use Reece James instead.
