Chelsea Youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi has expressed his relief after ending a three-month barren spell in front of goal, admitting he required to add a clinical edge to his game.
Hudson-Odoi opened the scoring for the Blues within the sixth minute of a third-round fa game against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, producing a superb end when picking up the ball on the far side of the box.
The 19-year-old went on to produce an assist simply after the 30 minutes mark, when his fierce shot was parried into the path of Ross Barkley, who was left with the straightforward task of tapping the ball into an empty Post.
Chelsea set-aside a place within the fourth round with the 2-0 success at Stamford Bridge, and Hudson Odoi looked back to his best when a testing spell that has seen his development stall somewhat.
The English attacker spent 5 months of 2019 on the sidelines with an Achilles injury, and hasn’t managed to measure up to his usual high standards since returning to action.
Hudson-Odoi admits he had grown “agitated” along with his form over the last few months, having solely scored once in nineteen matches across all competitions before Chelsea’s meeting with Forest.
“I have been a bit agitated,” he aforementioned post-match. “Thinking to myself that I even have had probabilities and that i got to convert a lot of of them, be a lot of clinical ahead of goal, thus during this game, i assumed to myself, hit it low and hard.
“Recently I even have been thinking ‘be patient, the goal can come back if you be yourself, be calm, everything can go your way’. i’m extremely happy that I got the goal and that i am trying to build thereon and keep going.
“But it’s not around the goal, it’s regarding helping the team, operating hard, keeping the ball, and overall i’m proud of however everything went.”
Chelsea supporters were forced to endure a couple of anxious minutes once Hudson-Odoi suffered a knock to his Achilles within the half, however he was ready to shake off the difficulty and complete the full ninety minutes.
“I was walking back and also the [Nottingham Forest] player came on and trod on my Achilles. it absolutely was a touch of pain however i am alright currently,” he told Chelsea TV once asked to comment on the injury.
“Obviously there are still times wherever i believe to myself ‘if i get kicked thereon like today what may happen’. And there are times wherever i believe to myself if I do a definite movement it’ll come again.
“But currently as days at training fade, i believe if you are assured and do your strengthening add the gym, it’ll still be strong and nothing ought to happen to it once more.
“I’ve been doing work a day with the conditioning coaches to confirm it’s strong enough and nothing else happens to it. i believe i am close to the point i was before.”
Hudson-Odoi will be back in contention for an area in Frank Lampard’s starting XI once Chelsea host Burnley within the Premier League on Sat.
