Sport
Graham Potter must integrate electrifying Mykhailo Mudryk quickly to give Chelsea life again
Mykhailo Mudryk only played 35 minutes of Chelsea’s goalless draw against Liverpool, but that was enough for the Ukrainian to hint at the impact he could make on the Premier League. The Blues are counting on Mudryk making a difference. The £89m transfer fee paid to Shakhtar Donetsk reflects the potential of the 22-year-old.
Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Anfield had been a forgettable encounter until Mudryk’s introduction off the bench in the second half. He gave Liverpool something different to think about and came close to scoring an incredible winner, dribbling through the opposition defence before finding the side netting with a shot.
“He’s not played football for a while, he’s been on a mid-season break, so we had to manage his minutes and he’s still in that phase,” Graham Potter said after the match, reflecting on Mudryk’s Premier League debut for his new club. “But I think you could see his quality, he had a good impact on the game.”
Potter hasn’t had much to be encouraged by in recent weeks. Indeed, Chelsea have won just two of their last 11 Premier League fixtures with the Blues a lowly 10th in the table at the halfway point of the season. Their hopes of finishing in the top four, and qualifying for next season’s Champions League, are all but over.
Chelsea must use the rest of this season to build for the future and the signing of Mudryk will help them do this. A lack of firepower has been an issue for the Blues recently, but the Ukrainian winger has the potential to spark them into life in the attacking third. Potter must integrate him into his team as quickly as possible.
Mudryk has pace to burn. The 22-year-old has been likened to Kylian Mbappe in the way he can stretch the pitch in a matter of seconds and provide an outlet in behind opposition defences. This will give Chelsea’s attack a different dimension with Potter’s team frequently too ponderous in their construction of moves in the final third.
However, Mudryk also demonstrated his skill in tight spaces in his 35-minute cameo against Liverpool. Potter wants his side to be capable of playing through opponents who use a low defensive block and Mudryk has the ability to give Chelsea something different. Chelsea haven’t boasted such a natural dribbler since Eden Hazard was at the club.
Much improvement is still required for Chelsea to salvage this season, but the easing injury situation coupled with the new signings arriving at Stamford Bridge mean Potter can start to plot the way forward. Mudryk looks like being a long-term solution to the left wing deficiency with Christopher Nkunku expected to arrive as Chelsea’s new centre forward this summer.
Joao Felix is only at Chelsea on loan until the end of the season, but the Portuguese international could be the club’s long-term solution on the right wing of their attack should he stay at Stamford Bridge beyond this summer. Reece James is the one who provides width on that flank, so Felix’s tendency to cut inside could work well.
Chelsea’s midfield remains a serious concern with the likes of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic unable to play the way Potter wants, but there is still time for the Blues to find a new central operator before the transfer window closes – Enzo Fernandez has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League.
From the mess of this season so far, Chelsea could still emerge as a strong team. There is certainly enough individual talent at Stamford Bridge with Potter still considered one of the best coaches in the Premier League despite the difficult start to life at Chelsea. Mudryk could make more difference than most.
