A weekend without Chelsea's first team following the postponement of the Stamford Bridge clash with Liverpool is by no means a weekend without Chelsea representation. The Blues' under-18 and under-21 sides took to the field on Saturday, with the former falling to defeat against Norwich while the latter saw a 3-1 lead turn into a 3-3 draw against the Eagles.
However, the Blues have a vast selection of players on their books, including 22 players making up this season's loan army. Callum Hudson-Odoi was one of those as he started for Bayer Leverkusen against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
Ahead of the game, head coach Gerardo Seoane highlighted Hudson-Odoi's versatility as very useful to his side, and it proved as such against Bremen. He said: "Tactics are always dependent on the opponent and the game. Hudson-Odoi helps us with his technique and agility, also that he can change his position during the game. That is very valuable for us as a team."
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The home side led the match through Kerem Demirbay's impressive strike as Leverkusen dominated the ball for most of the game, but Bremen generated good chances. Eventually, former Spurs man Milos Veljković was able to find the net and ensure his team came away with a draw on the afternoon.
Nevertheless, football.london kept a careful eye on Hudson-Odoi's afternoon as he played for 84 minutes.
0-15mins
The Chelsea loanee lined up in a central position behind Patrick Schick with Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby on either side of him. Hudson-Odoi showed some early activity by showing good ability to keep the ball before driving to the wing and also earned a free kick driving up the pitch with the ball
15-30
The young star earned a free kick as he ragged an opposition player back and forth before looking to play a one-two and being brought down before he could collect the ball once again.
He showed drive and commitment to be one of the first players back when Werder Bremen broke at pace and Leverkusen had few numbers in defence.
He rotated to the right to find time and space to chase the ball down to the byline before looking to play a ball back across the box and found a teammate, but not the best delivery.
Hudson-Odoi continued to draw fouls, on this occasion, when driving from his own half at pace before having his heels clipped by Romano Schmid, who picked up a yellow card for his trouble.
30-45
Released Frimpong with an impressive first-time, well-placed pass as he took the ball in the air to ensure play continued to move quickly, having helped start the move too. Hudson-Odoi continued to find pockets of space around the box as the half wore on.
45-60
Headed clear from a Werder Bremen corner as the visitors looked to pile on some pressure.
He showed more fast footwork on the end of the Bremen box before recycling possession, building up to his side's goal by Demirbay.
60-75
The 21-year-old once again showed his ability to break quickly as he partnered with Jeremie Frimpong through the middle of the pitch to release his teammate down the right.
Hudson-Odoi took some set-piece responsibilities after Demirbay was replaced and took position on the left when Frimpong was substituted for Adam Hložek.
75-90
Substituted after 83 minutes as the home side moved to two up front following Veljković's equaliser.
Verdict
There was plenty of promise in Hudson-Odoi's outing, and he looked to have plenty of urgencies when on the ball, though he faded in the game when he moved to the left and Werder Bremen grew into the match.
He showed a willingness to move the ball quickly to keep play going and caused the opposition problems by drawing fouls. Hudson-Odoi drew six fouls, more than any of his teammates, with nobody else recording more than two. The loanee also provided two key passess
Perhaps he could be more enthusiastic about getting a shot in early rather than simply retaining possession, but a solid if unspectacular outing from the Cobham product.
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