Following Chelsea’s 5-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday, manager Maurizio Sarri expressed his belief that Ruben Loftus-Cheek can be one of Europe’s top midfielders.
The 23-year-old started his first game since January in Ukraine with a fine midfield display, also recording an assist for Olivier Giroud who scored a hat-trick.
How good can Loftus-Cheek be? Five things to know
- Loftus-Cheek’s potential has been clear since his time in Chelsea’s academy where he won two FA Youth Cups and a UEFA Youth League.
- He made his Chelsea debut as in 18-year-old in a Champions League game vs Sporting Lisbon.
- Loftus-Cheek’s first consistent spell of senior football came on loan at Crystal Palace last season, appearing in 25 games, earning place in England’s World Cup squad.
- Since returning to Chelsea, he has impressed under Sarri, playing 28 games in all competitions and scoring six goals so far this season.
- And Sarri believes Loftus-Cheek could go on to become one of Europe’s best midfielders.
Going into this season, there were question marks about whether Loftus-Cheek should stay at Chelsea. With the emergence of Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic, it was unclear if he’d break into the first team after his impressive year with Crystal Palace and England.
However, he did stay at Chelsea and looks to be reaping the rewards for his patience.
Returning to the side after a back injury, Loftus-Cheek completed 90 minutes as Chelsea swept Dynamo Kyiv aside, impressing Sarri in the process.
After the game, the Italian told BT Sport: “He did very well. He has improved in the last month.
“He has trained after his back problem and he had a wonderful game. I’m really happy he could play for 90 minutes.
“His potential as a player is very high. Physically, technically and tactically, he is improving, he can become one of the best midfielders not only in England but in Europe.”
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This season, Loftus-Cheek has taken very well to the Europa League. In September, he bagged his first career hat-trick at home to BATE Borisov and added an assist in each of the two legs against Dynamo Kyiv.
He’s also proven to be a tricky man to stop once he gets going, completing the joint-most take-ons in the Europa League this season.
Most take-ons completed in the #UEL so far this season:
• Callum Hudson-Odoi (30)
• Ruben Loftus Cheek (30)Chelsea’s academy boys running rings around everyone else.
pic.twitter.com/nkLVfHMCD5
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 14, 2019
With Chelsea drawing Slavia Prague in the quarter-finals, the Englishman be hoping he can continue that form deep in the knockout stages.
But he will also be targeting the starting spot in the Premier League, capitalising on poor attacking form from Barkley and Kovacic.
Chelsea’s Champions League route
As touched on earlier, Chelsea will be facing Slavia Prague in the Europa League quarter-finals. Although the Czech side stunned Sevilla in the last-16, many will have the Blues down as favourites to reach the semi-finals.
Looking across the draw, Chelsea could also benefit from fixtures elsewhere. With Arsenal facing Napoli and Villarreal facing Valencia, that could open up the competition for Sarri’s side.
With many of the other tournament favourites pitted against each other, Chelsea can worry solely about themselves as their rivals eliminate each other.
With a supposedly weaker draw, Chelsea could also continue to battle on two fronts to reach the Champions League. Playing their strongest squads in the Premier League to try and secure a place in the top four.
As it stands, Chelsea are three points off the top four with a game in hand. So, they are very much still in the race. That, along with the Europa League draw, should look very good to Chelsea fans as the business end of the season approaches.
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