How Chelsea striker became a midfielder with the help of teammate who controlled him “like on the PlayStation”

How Chelsea striker became a midfielder with the help of teammate who controlled him “like on the PlayStation”

Eidur Gudjohnsen had a spell in midfield for Chelsea which many people have forgotten about, where Claude Makelele helped him out.

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Chelsea’s official website has some really interesting exclusives at the moment, and we enjoyed this one today about Eidur Gudjohnsen.

The striker was one of the players already at the club when Jose Mourinho took over, and he played a key role as we won our first title in 04/05.

But by 05/06 there were new players to compete with up front, and Gudjohnsen ended up used in midfield several times, and oft forgotten part of Chelsea lore. It was really interesting to hear him speak about that period.

Gudjohnsen on “PlayStation” Makelele

“It’s a different mindset. I had to learn the defensive positioning a bit because, throughout my whole career, I was looking at the opposition goal rather than running towards my own. I remember playing there against Barcelona in 04/05, and I don’t think I’ve ever run as much in my entire career,” Gudjohnsen reminisced.

“But we had [Claude] Makelele behind Frank and myself. And when you have Makelele there, he just guides you. He controls you almost like on the PlayStation. He just tells you where to go, and you go there. That helped a lot. It made me adapt very quickly.”