LONDON • Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri needs no convincing about Callum Hudson-Odoi's immense potential, but is reluctant to put too much pressure on the teenager as it could prove "dangerous" for his development.
The winger, who emerged as a transfer target for German giants Bayern Munich in January, came off the bench to score a late goal in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash on Thursday.
Supporters at Stamford Bridge were chanting for him to be brought on before the 18-year-old, who has not been able to break into the first team this season, was introduced with 12 minutes to go.
"He doesn't have to do anything to convince me. He's a very great player. In my opinion, a player at 18 years old cannot be at the top. He needs to improve until he's 22 or 23," Sarri told a news conference after the match, in which Pedro and Willian also scored.
"To have pressure when you're 18 is dangerous. You can lose (sight of) the target. When you're 18, the target is to improve tactically, mentally and physically. I don't like to speak about him for this reason.
"Now he needs to improve without the pressure of the media, the fans and the club, but he is in my mind for every match."
The win put Chelsea in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals of Europe's second-tier club competition, but Sarri warned his players against complacency ahead of the return leg in Kiev next Thursday.
"Now we have to be careful. We have to go there with a good level of application and determination if we want to qualify," he added.
"If you concede a goal, you can go mentally in trouble. We have to go there with the right level of attention."
In the Premier League, while top-four rivals Arsenal and Manchester United square off at the Emirates tomorrow, the Blues will host Wolves - while also having a home match (their game in hand) against Brighton to be fitted in at some point.
Sarri believes that the next two matches will be crucial for Chelsea to get ahead in the tough battle for the Champions League spots.
"I think that we have two big opportunities - this match and then when we will play the match against Brighton," he said.
"But I think we will be fighting for the top four until the last minute of the last match. Every match will be important in our future."
REUTERS
Football: Wayne Rooney bags first MLS hat-trick in D.C. romp
Alexis Sanchez came back to haunt Arsenal as the Chilean opened the scoring in Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win on Friday to maintain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 100 percent record as
Sanchez haunts Arsenal as Man Utd maintain perfect record
Fulham, yet to keep a clean sheet this season, stayed rooted to the bottom of the table with nine points from 17 games, while the Hammers' fourth league win in a row lifted them to ninth place on 24 points. New Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri had been looking to build on the four points his side took in their first two home games under his charge.
West Ham beat Fulham 2-0 to post fourth win in a row
Football: Gabriel Jesus fires as Manchester City snatch top spot from Liverpool LONDON (AFP) - Manchester City laid down the gauntlet to Liverpool by leapfrogging their title rivals back to the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Everton at the Etihad on Saturday (Dec 15).
Gabriel Jesus fires twice as Manchester City snatch top spot
MADRID: The wife of Spain's World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillas, Sara Carbonero, has announced that she has undergone surgery for cancer just three weeks after the goalkeeper suffered a heart attack. Casillas, who made 167 appearances for Spain and 725 for boyhood club Real Madrid before departing in 2015, fell ill during a training
After Casillas heart attack, wife says she has had cancer op
The official website of the Cincinnati Reds with the most up-to-date information on scores, schedule, stats, tickets, and team news.
RN Recap: Reds win! Reds win! - Redleg Nation
Advertisement MUNICH, Apr 25: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich beat Werder Bremen 3-2 with two goals from Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday to advance to the German Cup final for the second straight year and keep the domestic league and cup double firmly in their sights.
Football: Bayern reach German Cup final to keep double in
Qatar's Abdulaziz Hatem scored with a stunning late strike as the 2022 World Cup hosts upset Son Heung Min's South Korea 1-0 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup for the first time.
Hatem seals Qatar cup upset over Sth Korea - Nine Wide World
'Robust' security steps for Champs League final MADRID • Madrid will deploy an unprecedented number of police and security personnel for tomorrow's all-English Champions League final, and use a drone for the first time to monitor fan activity.
'Robust' security steps for Champs League final - Virginia Bus
virginiabus.info/sports/robust-security-steps-for-champs-league-final/
MADRID • Madrid will deploy an unprecedented number of police and security personnel for tomorrow's all-English Champions League final, and use a drone for the first time to monitor fan activity.
Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions
Everton avoided a third consecutive Premier League home defeat as Kurt Zouma's header and a late goal by Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned them a flattering 2-0 victory against Bournemouth at a rainy Goodison Park on Sunday.
Soccer: Everton ride luck for 2-0 home victory over Bournemouth
Lionel Messi scores La Liga-clinching goal for Barcelona off
"Neymar Jr will travel to Aspetar (sports clinic) in Qatar for the next 3 days as scheduled in the initial recovery plan," the club wrote on its Twitter account. "He will undertake a complete assessment after six weeks of his injury. He will be accompanied by a medical team from PSG."
Football: Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment
On Sunday, Warriors FC needed a 94th-minute goal to hold Home United to a 2-2 draw at the Bishan Stadium. Last night, defending champions Tampines Rovers surrendered a two-goal lead as they were
Singapore-based Australian DJ Adam Sky dies in luxury Bali
LONDON (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been rewarded by Manchester United for engineering a remarkable turnaround in the club's fortunes since he took over from the sacked Jose Mourinho in December..
Football: Five games that tipped the scales in Ole Gunnar
Real Madrid's forward Karim Benzema celebrates after scoring during the Spanish La Liga match between Real Madrid and SD Huesca at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, on March 31, 2019.
Benzema saves Real Madrid blushes with late Huesca winner
0 comments:
Post a Comment