The 5 Things That Mykhailo Mudryk Needs To Do To Turn His Chelsea Fortunes Around
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has really struggled since arriving at Stamford Bridge in January.
A return of 0 goals and 2 assists in 20 appearances is not what fans were expecting when the Blues shelled out £87m on the Ukrainian international.
There are many reasons why Mudryk has failed to make an impact so far and, in this article, we will be addressing them, as well as suggesting possible remedies that could help him realise his potential.
Press the next page as well list 5 things that the 22-year-old needs to do to turn his fortunes at Chelsea around.
1) Train, Train, Train
Some pundits have already pointed out that Mudryk hasn’t been given a fair run in the starting eleven. There is some truth in that as he has started two games in a row only once since his arrival in England.
However, the fact that Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and now Mauricio Pochettino have all opted against giving him regular game time suggests there is more going on here. Pochettino provided an insight after the defeat to West Ham when he said he is not doing enough on the training pitch:
“First of all he needs to build his continuity and trust during the trainings during the week.”
The first priority for Mudryk, therefore, is to work harder in training so he can get more chances to play.
2) Take chances when they come
Another big concern for supporters is that, even when Mudryk is given opportunities, he rarely looks like making a big impact on the game.
There was a telling moment during the opening fixture against Liverpool which kind of sums up where he is at as a player.
Mudryk used his pace well to get one-on-one with Alisson but a heavy touch around the keeper meant he went too far wide, forcing him to pass to Raheem Sterling who fluffed his lines.
If he had taken that opportunity and scored to win the match, it could have kickstarted his Chelsea career. As it was, it was nothing but a footnote in the game. If he gets such a gilt-edged chance off the bench in the future, he needs to have more composure.
3) Stay injury free
Chelsea would have been surprised not to see Mudryk in the starting eleven for the Carabao Cup second-round tie against AFC Wimbledon last month.
It was the perfect opportunity for the Ukrainian to make an impression. Unfortunately, the winger had picked up an injury prior to the game.
Considering Mudryk is not an injury-prone player, it was purely bad luck that he missed out on that fixture.
If he can remain injury-free from now on, he will get his chance in the Carabao Cup against Brighton later this month if Pochettino opts against using him before then.
4) Find a mentor
I News conducted an interesting interview with sport psychologist Dr Hannah Stoyel last month where she noted the lack of mentors in this current Chelsea squad. When it was suggested that psychologists could be used to help this group of young players, she replied:
“It’s one thing for a psychologist to come in, but actually having players in the room who’ve lived it is really important. Chelsea will have to find a way to create that, whether it’s past mentors coming back, or staff that used to play taking on a more pastoral role. If players don’t have the information of how others managed it, it can be tough.”
You can tell Mudryk is suffering with low confidence and the absence of someone he can look up to and learn from in difficult situations is clearly not helping.
At 28 years of age, you’d have thought that Raheem Sterling would be the best player to take him under his wing. Perhaps the England international can help his fellow teammate?
5) Be braver on the ball
You only have to look at Mudryk’s performances for Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League two seasons ago to see what he is truly capable of.
He was in the top 1% of midfielders for progressive carries (5.93 per 90), the top 10% for successful take-ons (2.47 per 90), and the top 3% for touches inside the opposition penalty box (4.45 per 90).
6 group games is a small sample size but, even so, it is a world away from the numbers he has been racking up in the Premier League. Last season, he only managed 3.43 progressive carries per 90, 1.78 successful take-ons per 90 and 3.84 touches in the penalty area per 90.
Mudryk simply has to be braver in possession as he has the ability to take on opponents in dangerous areas with the ball at his feet.