---
title: "Chelsea coach praises Flora’s youth development ahead of UEFA Youth League tie"
date: 2026-10-28T12:32:37Z
lang: en
author: "Ivo"
canonical: https://balticfootballnews.com/chelsea-coach-praises-floras-youth-development-ahead-of-uefa-youth-league-tie/
categories: ["Estonia"]
---

# Chelsea coach praises Flora’s youth development ahead of UEFA Youth League tie
Chelsea U-19s begin their European campaign in Tallinn on Wednesday against Flora, with coach Harry Hudson acknowledging his side are favourites but saying they must prove their advantage on the pitch.

Flora earned the tie with a 7-1 aggregate win over Faroe Islands champions HB. Hudson said Flora deserved to progress, adding that they had been the better team in the previous round. He praised the Estonian side’s organisation in and out of possession, as well as the technical ability of their players.

Hudson noted Flora had made particular use of the left flank against HB, where Sander Alamaa, who has also featured in the Premium liiga this season, could operate. He said Chelsea’s relative age-group experience may help level the contest: English clubs do not have an U-19 team, instead fielding U-18 and U-21 sides, although some of Chelsea’s U-21 players are young enough for the competition.

“_On paper, we should be better than them, but knockout ties can be shaped by the context. We have seen that in football for more than 100 years_,” Hudson said. He also congratulated Flora on having several players involved in senior football, saying their progress reflected “_a very good player development programme_”.

Source: [soccernet.ee](https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/chelsea-loots-kiitis-flora-noortetood-neil-peab-olema-vaga-hea-arenduskava)