Mykhailo Mudryk is finally starting to cook for Chelsea – and the Blues have Mauricio Pochettino to thank

The Blues’ £89 million investment is beginning to pay off gradually, but the flying winger still has a ways to go.

Relief was evident in the dugout, away end, and among home watchers when an emotional Mykhailo Mudryk held his palms to his face in shock at Craven Cottage. After an incredible £89 million ($107 million) transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea, the winger had finally scored in competitive play eight and a half months later.

With deft control of Levi Colwill’s pass, Mudryk raced through and beat Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno with a shot between his legs. The celebrations that followed were evidence of his talent and popularity among the Blues players.

This was the result of months of hard work and, ideally, the start of a new chapter rather than a fleeting fad, the kind Chelsea fans have grown accustomed to with misfiring, pricey forward recruits.

Mudryk is at last starting to live up to his potential when wearing a Chelsea shirt, and under Mauricio Pochettino’s guidance, he has a genuine opportunity of shedding the label of “expensive flop.”

Fitness undoubtedly an issue

It was unjust to expect Mudryk to start playing right away at Stamford Bridge given his £89 million purchase tag and growing reputation; in reality, he has been losing games ever since.

The fact that he signed with Chelsea in mid-January over two months after playing his last game for Shakhtar Donetsk suggests that, during the weeks that followed, Graham Potter most likely wasn’t ready for the starting lineup.

If the winger was already playing catch-up, it was made worse by the fact that both Frank Lampard and Graham Potter struggled to manage a gluttonous 30-man roster during the second half of the previous season, which severely affected overall fitness levels.

Working overtime

That a whole preseason spent working with the usually hard-charging Pochettino has been extremely beneficial to him is therefore not surprising. He appears fitter and stronger, even though his minutes have still been slightly controlled. It’s not solely his head coach’s fault, though.

Mudryk is reportedly working extremely hard off the field, and his efforts have paid off. The Ukrainian is said to put in endless hours in the gym with a personal trainer to improve his strength and speed, to the surprise of his teammates who are shocked by his unwavering work ethic.

In an effort to improve his conditioning, Chelsea has even made the decision to set some limits, limiting his additional strength training.

Handled with care by Pochettino

Despite his astronomical transfer value, it’s easy to forget that Mudryk is still a young player. Prior to concluding a transformative move to Chelsea, he had made just 65 appearances in the first team, the most of which were as a substitute.

Potter, who was desperate to find a solution to his team’s problems back in January, threw him into the deep end without really giving him time to adjust. He had made his debut just under two months after his last competitive game. As soon as it was clear he wouldn’t be a big hit, he quickly settled into a supporting role.

Pochettino, a manager known for fostering the growth of young players, has taken an entirely different tack. The wide player has been steadily added to the squad, with his playing time rising and his output getting better over time.

The Argentine is adamant about taking things “very slowly” and has worked one-on-one with “Misha,” even playing crossbar challenge with him to boost his confidence. When Mudryk first started his Instagram story, he disclosed that his manager had given him a copy of Guillem Balague’s book “Brave New World,” which is about Pochettino’s Tottenham team and features the manager’s contributions. They are starting to enjoy the fruits of their growing friendship.

mmudryk10 on Insta

“We must recognize that young individuals require time and space to adjust,” Pochettino stated following Mudryk’s goal, which marked the culmination of his recent surge and his first in a competitive game for the Blues. It concerns adaption. When Mudryk came here, things drastically changed, and it’s difficult to become a part of a group that isn’t cohesive. He wasn’t the icing on the cake; the squad needed to be strengthened.

“It takes time, patience, faith in these young, gifted players, and confidence building.” Step by step, it’s a big task. While some people struggle with patience, for us, patience is essential.”

Creator-in-chief

Mudryk had appeared more likely to assist a goal than to score one himself before to his well-executed goal at Craven Cottage. In a time when Chelsea has been lacking inspiration, he has frequently been their most imaginative player.

With the early indications of a growing understanding with striker Nicolas Jackson, his vision and ability to identify a teammate in a threatening position have been the most encouraging aspects of his play in the first few weeks of the season.

With five crucial passes made in the league, the 22-year-old’s average expected assist (xA) is 0.8. Thus, he is already well on his way to surpassing his output from the previous season.

Jackson had a very impressive opportunity to perform against Aston Villa when a whipped through ball was played to him, but the Senegal international missed it. Against Bournemouth, his combination with the center-forward may have also resulted in an assist.

Time for the goal contributions to flow

It’s becoming more and more obvious that Mudryk is a confident player on the field, despite being characterized as a quiet yet courteous young man off it.

The attacker’s goal against Fulham had an air of inevitable progress; he had been putting in a lot of work, his performances were improving visibly, and he was being given the room and playing time to regain his confidence. It was unfortunate that a small knock at halftime ended his evening.

However, this new beginning needs to serve as a launchpad. Although Mudryk has returned to some of his swagger, he still occasionally lacks creativity, and his pass completion percentage this season is an extremely low 59 percent. High risk, high reward is his strategy, but Chelsea will like to see more of the latter.

However, Pochettino notes that “patience, trust, and building confidence” will be necessary for this process. At last, Mudryk is preparing, and this is only the start.