Scintillating displays are a tribute to Thomas Tuchel and the academy at a club that appeared close to signing Achraf Hakimi
It turns out that
Chelsea had no reason to spend any money on strengthening their right flank last summer. There was no need to rival
Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of Achraf Hakimi when they already had Reece James, whose scintillating display against
Juventus on Tuesday night provided Chelsea with yet another reminder to trust in their brilliant academy.
The beauty of it for the Stamford Bridge faithful was that James was not the only homegrown hero leading the charge against the Italian club. The opening goal came from Trevoh Chalobah, a 22-year-old centre-back who looked likely to leave at the end of last season, and there was a made-in-Cobham feel to the move that saw the European champions go 3-0 up just before the hour. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who had come on for the injured N’Golo Kanté, danced through before feeding Callum Hudson-Odoi and Thomas Tuchel was on the pitch when the ball flew into the Juventus net, whipping up the crowd and punching the air as he savoured his side producing arguably the most complete performance of his 10-month tenure.