Callum Hudson-Odoi has blossomed into one of Thomas Tuchel's brightest outlets, stepping closer to asserting himself as the first name on Chelsea's team sheet.
The 20-year-old forward initially struggled to attain valuable game time under the German boss but Hudson-Odoi's patience, desire and hard work saw Tuchel eventually hand him an opportunity in his desired position.
Chelsea's number 20 has enjoyed seven successive starts for the Blues, directly contributing towards three goals as he progressively evolves into one of the side's most influential figures.
Hudson-Odoi's display against Juventus earmarked the beginning of his next chapter in becoming a staple in Tuchel's side, operating the inside-spaces effectively with electric half-turns and superb one touch play.
The Cobham graduate's ability to produce high quality output in the final third at a remarkable consistency makes him such a dangerous threat.
He has a catalogue of chance-creation techniques in his armoury, whether it be his weight of cross, interplay around the 18-yard box or incisiveness. However, his performance against the Old Lady unearthed another dimension to his game.
Hudson-Odoi showed a willingness to truly adapt his style from the skillset of a typical winger to a specialised inside-forward, all while operating at the highest level.
The England international worked to half-spaces well and displayed a real intent to attack central areas with elite level movement and play-making.
While his raw ability to produce moments of magic is widely documented, a deeper dive into Hudson-Odoi's technical profile highlights a subtle training trick used Pep Guardiola on Raheem Sterling to maintain a consistent high-level of output.
The root of Hudson-Odoi's display was of course was, aforementioned, his raw ability but his conscious use of his instep allowed him to flourish on the front foot and open up avenues of attack.
This is the exact technique that saw Guardiola guide Sterling through his incredible success for club and country following his appointment at Manchester City in 2016.
"When I used to dribble, I’d be on the wing and I'd control it with the outside of my foot – it slows the ball down," Sterling said.
"He brings you back to what you used to do with the under-eights: open your body up, get the rhythm going again, it’s little details like that.
“When you’re playing a game you probably don’t pick up on it. Little touches outside your foot, trapped under your foot, he’s telling you to get to the left-back quicker, open your body out and take it with you instead of just controlling it and stopping.”
While it is unlikely that Guardiola has directly warned Hudson-Odoi about picking up the same bad habits that Sterling once suffered from, the principle still stands handing Chelsea a major boost in solving the Tuchel's front-three puzzle.
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