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Rust and Lustre – Misha's Half vs Fulham

Mudryk’s first official Chelsea goal sparked off the kind of ecstatic relief from the day Fernando Torres opened his Chelsea account with a cracking finish against West Ham. Although he only played the first half due to a knock in his quad, Misha’s 45 minutes were sprinkled with luster and rust, a promise that polishing will reap more glittering rewards.

The Gleam

Off-The-Ball and Central Influence

A few complaints regarding Mudryk’s displays before this game correctly highlighted the more stoic nature of his positioning. As a young winger quite used to receiving on the left flank and rampaging into acres of space, the Premier League has offered no room to manoeuvre; ensuring that most of his runs often led him into cul-de-sacs.

Misha’s positioning for his goal was markedly different. Reading that Caicedo’s long ball into the underloaded flank would draw Castagne (the fullback tasked with marking him), Mudryk first threatened to make a run across Diop, before peeling away between both Fulham CBs, ensuring a 2v2 at the edge of the box. This quick movement threw Diop off a little, ensuring a sub-standard leap; Mudryk’s play from there resembled a centerforward’s more than a winger’s. A well-placed weak foot finish was the icing on the cake.

Gravity

Yet to properly harness his chaos in the PL, most teams’ general response to coping with Mudryk offers an interesting perspective. In the 42^nd minute, as he received 1v1 near the halfway line from Colwill, Pochettino shouted “go, go, go!” urging Mudryk to do his thing. Misha responded by zipping inside, running not at his fullback but past him, towards the CBs, both of whom had committed an error each in the two goals. By the time Mudryk was yards from the box, he was being chased by his fullback Castagne, had the DM Palhinha to his right, and had drawn Diop’s rapt attention, leaving Broja 1v1 with Ream. The pass he slipped in found Broja, but it also drew a freekick in a dangerous area.

Misha’s gravitational pull is an exciting, untethered part of his game. Here’s another situation in the 26^th minute, where he took on a Fulham defender and made it to the box. When he breached it, Fulham had dedicated half their back 4 to stopping him – with Diop and Castagne joined by Reed to make a 3v2 on him and Enzo. In the middle of the box, this left Broja with only Ream to contend with. Misha’s cutback unfortunately betrayed a little of his usual hastiness – hitting it while behind the ball, lacking control or the right weight, allowing Leno to dive and grab it comfortably. There is evidence enough from his days in the Ukrainian league, under less anxiety and pressure, to suggest that his technique and accuracy possess the required finesse.

The Rust

Pressing

There remains, however, evidence of why Pochettino was hesitant to play him through preseason and in the first few games. His inability to read pressing triggers and gauge the correct distances is erratic, to put it kindly. At one point, Pochettino pointed out the ideal positioning to him from the touchline. Below, in the 14^th minute, you can see a bit of that at work. With Ream (LCB) on the ball, Palmer pressures him while keeping the leftback Robinson in his covershadow. Broja is within pressing range of Leno in case of a backpass, after which he can keep Leno in his covershadow and block off access to one half for Fulham. Mudryk however, as the far side winger, has his back to the play and is more worried about a difficult switch to his fullback than about closing down Diop (bottom left) and trying to win the ball back.

As the sequence progresses, you can see Mudryk is still a good 15-20 yards away from Diop, allowing Fulham to easily play out. On the top right, you can see Palmer throw his hands up in frustration. This tactical understanding is still a work in progress and will hopefully improve his importance to the collective. The tracking back, the work ethic are all there.

Movement

There are still aspects of forward play that require honing. Take this example. After a lovely attacking rotation on the right led to Palmer receiving in the pocket on the right, a throughball sees Broja take a touch into the box. As the far side winger, Mudryk correctly attacks the box for a cutback.

At this point, with Broja about to deliver into the box, Mudryk should be noting that Enzo is making a run towards the center of the box from deeper and is unmarked. Misha could/should now – a) make a far post run to draw Castagne, the lone Fulham defender in the middle, away from where Enzo is arriving b) threaten a near post run immediately before peeling away from Castagne to the far post.

Instead, he runs in a straight line and arrives in the very same spot Enzo was making for, while also being in Diop’s covershadow and having Castagne bang in front of his shot. Broja’s cross flashes right across goal to the far-post, where Mudryk should ideally have been.

In essence, there is perhaps a lot more to be excited by what Mudryk can become than what Mudryk managed to do vs Fulham. He has struggled to execute his most tried-and-tested move, but ended up scoring by doing the things he doesn’t do perfectly – positioning himself where the ball isn’t and using his weaker foot. Perhaps that is the way forward for Misha, the freedom to make try what he hasn’t, to fail, to learn and to go again. Hopefully, the first of many well-taken goals.