ANOTHER DEBUT FOR MCEACHRAN
Posted on: Fri 29 Jul 2011
Josh McEachran gave the first media conference of his Chelsea career in Hong Kong on Friday, the eve of the Barclays Asia Trophy decider against Aston Villa.
Sitting alongside Andre Villas-Boas who confirmed the 18-year-old will have a role in the last game of the tour, the player discussed his development, his position on the pitch and the identity of the player he idolised most when still a school kid.
'Zinedine Zidane,' was the answer McEachran gave to reporters, 'but now he is retired I look up to Frank Lampard and [Andres] Iniesta.
'With Zidane it was everything about him, his goals, his touches. He was the complete all-round midfielder.'
It is instantly clear to anyone who watches McEachran play that while looking up to France's World Cup winner, touch and passing was something he was working hard to develop in order to make the most of his natural ability, and he considers himself fortunate to have been guided by Chelsea's Academy since the age of eight.
'With Chelsea, as you are growing up they always work on your technique so I have worked on my passing since I was a little kid and it is probably one of my best abilities. Comfort on the ball is about getting into the right positions.
'My first ever training session with the first team was when a couple of young ones went over when [Luiz Felipe] Scolari was the manager and I was a bit taken back by it all,' he recalls.
'I was about 15 and they were all good to me, they all helped me out. I found it good, it was just a great experience.
'Now it has been really good coming out to Asia. I just hope to go on from here and I want to get more minutes this year, but obviously it is up to Andre. If he thinks I am good enough to play for Chelsea then I want to stay, but if he thinks it is better for me to go out on loan then I will go out on loan.'
McEachran was asked about being labelled as Chelsea's big young hope for the last year or so, and also about his equivalent at Arsenal, Jack Wilshire.
'It has been quite hard but Chelsea have been really supportive of me, they kept me grounded and insisted I keep working hard, and hopefully I can go on,' he replied.
'I do speak to Jack quite a lot and I do text him now and again. We say good luck before matches and I watch most of his games.
'I think we have similar abilities but Jack is about a year ahead of me.He is one of the best young players in the world so he is doing really well and hopefully I can do what he has done.'
The manager last season, Carlo Ancelotti, was clear that he saw a future for McEachran as a deep midfielder, setting the team on the attack from that position. He has played both that role and further forward in this pre-season.
'When I was younger I was always an attacking midfielder but then Carlo came in and saw me as deeper,' the player says.
'It has improved my defensive play, playing in a deeper position and it is good for my development. You see the game from a different perspective.
'I prefer to play higher up but if Andre sees me deeper then I am happy to play there as well.'
'I spoke to Josh at the beginning and asked him where he felt best on the pitch,' added Villas-Boas.
'The deeper number 6 position is a very important position. I know that Josh touches the ball more in that position and likes to play from that position, but he is also a player who likes to face the play more often and he has the vision to see people in attacking positions with quite some ease.
'It is good to test him as a number 8 position further forward and I think he has the tactical and technical awareness to play in that position. He can fulfil both positions and I am sure he can play the number 10 position as well. But the flexibility that Josh offers is very, very important in any squad and for any coach.
'Josh tomorrow will be involved again in the number 8 role, organising the game from that position.'
Posted on: Fri 29 Jul 2011
Josh McEachran gave the first media conference of his Chelsea career in Hong Kong on Friday, the eve of the Barclays Asia Trophy decider against Aston Villa.
Sitting alongside Andre Villas-Boas who confirmed the 18-year-old will have a role in the last game of the tour, the player discussed his development, his position on the pitch and the identity of the player he idolised most when still a school kid.
'Zinedine Zidane,' was the answer McEachran gave to reporters, 'but now he is retired I look up to Frank Lampard and [Andres] Iniesta.
'With Zidane it was everything about him, his goals, his touches. He was the complete all-round midfielder.'
It is instantly clear to anyone who watches McEachran play that while looking up to France's World Cup winner, touch and passing was something he was working hard to develop in order to make the most of his natural ability, and he considers himself fortunate to have been guided by Chelsea's Academy since the age of eight.
'With Chelsea, as you are growing up they always work on your technique so I have worked on my passing since I was a little kid and it is probably one of my best abilities. Comfort on the ball is about getting into the right positions.
'My first ever training session with the first team was when a couple of young ones went over when [Luiz Felipe] Scolari was the manager and I was a bit taken back by it all,' he recalls.
'I was about 15 and they were all good to me, they all helped me out. I found it good, it was just a great experience.
'Now it has been really good coming out to Asia. I just hope to go on from here and I want to get more minutes this year, but obviously it is up to Andre. If he thinks I am good enough to play for Chelsea then I want to stay, but if he thinks it is better for me to go out on loan then I will go out on loan.'
McEachran was asked about being labelled as Chelsea's big young hope for the last year or so, and also about his equivalent at Arsenal, Jack Wilshire.
'It has been quite hard but Chelsea have been really supportive of me, they kept me grounded and insisted I keep working hard, and hopefully I can go on,' he replied.
'I do speak to Jack quite a lot and I do text him now and again. We say good luck before matches and I watch most of his games.
'I think we have similar abilities but Jack is about a year ahead of me.He is one of the best young players in the world so he is doing really well and hopefully I can do what he has done.'
The manager last season, Carlo Ancelotti, was clear that he saw a future for McEachran as a deep midfielder, setting the team on the attack from that position. He has played both that role and further forward in this pre-season.
'When I was younger I was always an attacking midfielder but then Carlo came in and saw me as deeper,' the player says.
'It has improved my defensive play, playing in a deeper position and it is good for my development. You see the game from a different perspective.
'I prefer to play higher up but if Andre sees me deeper then I am happy to play there as well.'
'I spoke to Josh at the beginning and asked him where he felt best on the pitch,' added Villas-Boas.
'The deeper number 6 position is a very important position. I know that Josh touches the ball more in that position and likes to play from that position, but he is also a player who likes to face the play more often and he has the vision to see people in attacking positions with quite some ease.
'It is good to test him as a number 8 position further forward and I think he has the tactical and technical awareness to play in that position. He can fulfil both positions and I am sure he can play the number 10 position as well. But the flexibility that Josh offers is very, very important in any squad and for any coach.
'Josh tomorrow will be involved again in the number 8 role, organising the game from that position.'
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