The patience of Chelsea star and Aston Villa reality will challenge Mauricio Pochettino
We saw a rare start from Mykhailo Mudryk in Sunday’s goalless draw between AFC Bournemouth and Chelsea with the Ukraine international lasting 64 minutes at the Vitality Stadium
Around 1pm on Sunday, Chelsea fans on social media were ecstatic to learn the starting eleven that Mauricio Pochettino had chosen for Chelsea’s match against AFC Bournemouth. Even though Moises Caicedo, the club’s record signing, was absent due to injury, the players’ morale were unaffected because Mykhailo Mudryk was on the roster.
The 22-year-old winger, who many have predicted will have a breakout season at Stamford Bridge following a difficult start after being signed in the January transfer window, made his first start of the year in that game. When Chelsea acquired Mudryk at the beginning of the year, he was one of European football’s most sought-after players, but his numbers since
Nine starts, 876 minutes altogether, no goals and two assists for Mudryk reflects a pretty poor start to life at Stamford Bridge. And it is telling right now just how low his confidence levels are
But playing more football is the only way he can hope to restore the self-assurance he displayed every week when playing football in his own Ukraine. Sunday was a significant step in the right direction for Mudryk in terms of playing himself out of this “rut.”
He not only played for more than an hour—leaving the field on the south coast after 64 minutes—but he also left a lasting impression. The Ukrainian showed flashes of his potential when playing off the left side, even if he wasn’t the difference in Chelsea actually scoring a goal.