Mudryk has "endless potential that hasn't been fulfilled" at Chelsea

Chelsea have tried to set the tone of their coming season, as they look to bounce back after a dismal 2022-23 performance that saw them finish 12th in the Premier League. With the arrival of new manager Mauricio Pochettino have come plenty of changes and new players, something that Ben Chilwell feels acutely.

The English international is one of just three players left who were part of Chelsea's 2021 Champions League triumph in Porto, and although he is full of praise for his new coach, he admits to feeling a "responsibility" to lead the group and "help these younger players and lead by example on the pitch more importantly".

“We want to be the players who can perform week in, week out, help players out around the training ground and help the younger players on their path and understand the demands of playing for Chelsea — which is to win", he told 'The Athletic'. "That’s a must. There are a lot of players here who are very talented, but we need to also make sure that being at Chelsea means we have to win trophies.”

One player in particular he has taken under his wing is Mykhailo Mudryk, who after a very slow start at Stamford Bridge has started coming into his own, scoring a stunning volley in the pre-season win against Brighton.

“With Misha, I just see endless potential that hasn’t been fulfilled yet,” said Chilwell of the Ukrainian international. "I had a conversation with him after training in the changing room, because he’s been on fire the last few days and obviously was on fire in the game against Brighton, and I just said he needs to keep that up now for the whole season".

“His decision-making has been bang-on: when to shoot, when to dribble, when to pass. I just said he needs to continue doing that and have confidence in his ability, that we’re all completely behind him. We all see how good he is, he just needs to keep up what he’s been doing,” finished the left-back.

 

July 28, 2023