Chelsea news: We’ve had to rest less and play more, says Callum Hudson-Odoi

The mood around Chelsea must be a positive one after the club registered an important 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at the weekend. Taking into account Chelsea’s recent run of mixed results and Tottenham’s positive outings, securing all three points against a fellow London side would have been a much-needed result for manager Thomas Tuchel and his players. Getting a win right before the international break would have been a major positive for Chelsea, but prior to that, the Blues endured a difficult run of results. It was not only the results but playing frequent games with little breaks in between matches would have made it difficult for the players recently. 

Speaking of Chelsea’s hectic fixture schedule, winger Callum Hudson-Odoi stated that it has been difficult to fully rest and recover in the days between midweek and weekend matches. “It’s been difficult. We’ve had to rest less and play more,” Hudson-Odoi was quoted as saying by their club’s website. “We know games come thick and fast and they are very challenging. Sometimes the rest hasn’t been enough for us but at the same time, we have to get on with it and play every game as well as we can do.”

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Hudson-Odoi: It was tight in the first half

Hudson-Odoi then shifted his focus to the 2-0 victory over Spurs at the weekend. He opened up how difficult a test it was for the team, but at the same time explained how they managed to win the match. “We continued to play the way we were playing. Trying to create as many chances as possible and stay direct,” he said after the victory. “We were trying to break the lines as they made it very difficult in the first half and we realised that.

“It was tight in the first half, they shut down a lot of spaces for us. Obviously, we broke through, but in the second half we opened up and as you can see, we took our chances really well. We converted our chances well,” the 21-year-old added. “We pressed as a team well. We opened the game up well as a team, we kept trying to find gaps and when we did it was good for us.”

Hudson-Odoi also had an important part to play in the opener on the day when Hakim Ziyech fired a wonder goal. The young winger’s footwork and trickery saw him leave behind Japhet Tanganga on the left-hand side, as he picked out Ziyech on the edge of the area for the impressive strike. 

“Don’t tell him this, but I will take a lot of the credit!” Callum said, joking. “Seriously, I am really happy for him as the goal itself was an amazing finish. I told him that as soon as he shot, I knew it was in. I could just tell.

“I won’t take a lot of the credit as it was an amazing goal. I am happy for him because he deserved a goal for his performance today. It was a big game and big rivalry, so we’re delighted to get the three points. I am happy and smiling!”