Well, he wasn't terrible. Pretty active in the first half, and disappeared in the second except to flub a couple of chances. Sancho didn't look any better, though. Hakimi and Dahoud were poor. So while Puli is not looking World Class, at least we can say he looks like he belongs in that Dortmund team.
Just watched a recording of the first half and I saw it very differently. Pulisic was terrible in the first. He was dispossessed a couple of times in his own half and in manageable situations. His runs seemed redundant and he let Foyth run through for a free cross. Sancho on the other hand looked every bit of the player that has Pulisic picking pine out of his butt all the way to London. Pulisic is a second striker with a good first touch and an outrageous stop-start burst. He doesn’t have a dynamic right but it’s decent and his off is serviceable. But any claims that he’s just off form and Sancho is on form is very generous. He just is not that caliber of player.
Watch the 2nd half where Sancho is a ghost. I watched the first 70 and then I had to go. Pulisic was decent. Yes, his dribbles sometimes fail and can lead to issues, and the play where he let Foyth go was bad. Coach had to get pissed on that one. Other times his quickness is a game changer, the yellow and a few other instances were examples. He got in a shot where I think he played it right, though was unlikely to beat Loris from that angle, but worth the test. Got into quite a few other dangerous runs, and of course he donkeyed the one worse than Zardes. The 1st half did show why Sancho is ahead of him. Sancho was(is) special. That doesn't mean Pulisic is "terrible". As @Suyuntuy said, he's at Dortmund level still, so that's good. Doubt Chelsea fans saw that and got excited, but as a USMNT fan, I'm still good.
I don't think Pulisic realizes what he's in for just for being American. The tabloids will be out in force to prove that Americans can't play "football" and he was only signed as a marketing gimmick to win more American fans. You can see from the fairly sober Guardian's rating that they were casting a more critical eye than kicker. Ironically many Americans who slipped in to the English leagues under the radar, like the gks, Harkes, Dempsey and McBride, became hugely popular. The British like humility.
Holden........................... High expectations on players at this level is just part of the deal. I do think that ANY player of ANY nationality that comes in on that price tag will be critically evaluated by the British media and fans. That's what they do. I don't think him being American will really set him apart. Sure, that's what the tabloid media will latch on to. [When he first broke out, the European press always called him a Croatian-American. As if a product of the US couldn't possibly be that good of a prospect. So they made sure to point out that he was Croatian.] But if it wasn't that, it would be something else.
I thought Sancho outside of a couple plays including one where he sliced through several players was off and maybe tired. Thought Hakimi was worse and started wondering if the coach overthought things. Pulisic wasn't great but drew to fouls one of which was a yellow, had a hard shot that could have gone in with some luck and some other good combinations around the box.
I think he could be in for a rough go of it but I don't think its the Anti- American per say as much as it will be the American Media and American fans that's going to cause the problems. I'm worried that it will turn into a similar situation as Kagawa at United (who interestingly also came from Dortmund). There will now be people with strange accents at the press conference forcing the manager to answer the same question again and again about "why isn't Pulisic playing", or "why aren't you tweaking your system to maximize him". Then on top of that Chelsea Twitter is suddenly going to be full of Americans only interested in talking about, and largely defending him. . If I were a Chelsea fan whose only priority was the club over any individual player, be they English, French or Djiboutian I'd get pretty annoyed too. Which is why I had mixed feelings when Pulisic was linked to Liverpool. Now where it is specific to America is our sports and social media presence is massive, and in the same language.So they'll be a lot more of it then if he were from say Slovenia, hence the risk of a backlash. Having said that I thought he looked pretty comfortable in the match last night. A lot of what Dortmund was doing well in the first half went through him and he helped provide the few sparks they had in the second. Far from perfect and he did lose possession to much but if I was seeing him for the first time knowing he was coming to my club I'd think he was a pretty tidy player. But ... there is that price tag!
I think there is some anti-American bias in soccer and I think frankly it is justified. When we have a couple guys who dominate big games with big teams, we can cry discrimination of people still talk shit about American players. But, when you've produced little of value,. it's not exactly shocking for others to point it out. Maybe Pulisic will be one of those guys to break through and change the general perception, but until someone does, hard to complain abut it.
Agree with the rest of your post, but I think Sarri leaving is a good thing. Supposedly, Sarri had very little to do with signing CP, and wasnt even aware of it until the deal was done. So it wasnt like CP was being brought in as "one of his guys," etc. So from a managerial change perspective, not much more downside IMO. But yeah, the rest of your post is worrisome.
This is incorrect. He wasn't aware the deal was done on the day. He actually met with Pulisic before the transfer.
The English press had some harsh words for Puli, while giving extra points to Sancho 'cuz humans are like that. Some samples: https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ssia-dortmund-champions-league-player-ratings Christian Pulisic Chelsea’s incoming £58m man drew early booking from Aurier but was peripheral and disappointing 5 Jadon Sancho Made things happen during excellent first half. Quick feet a feature and oozed confidence 7 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...S-Vertonghen-capped-stellar-display-goal.html Jadon Sancho 7 All eyes were on the exciting English teenager. Started moves and showed off silky skills. Better first half than second. Christian Pulisic 5 Chelsea-bound forward came close to scoring opener after pouncing on Foyth error. Otherwise anonymous.
The exact quote is here: Goal.com Archived Story Sarri did say, however, that he had been consulted on the transfer around a month before the move went through. “I didn’t know anything about [signing] Pulisic yesterday," Sarri told the BBC following Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Southampton on Wednesday. "They asked my opinion about him one month ago. My opinion was positive and today I knew that the deal is done but I didn’t know anything." The Italian reiterated that he doesn't involve himself in the club's transfer business much, instead focusing on matters taking place on the pitch. “I am not in charge of the market so I have to tend to my matches and play every three days. I can only say my opinion to the club," Sarri said.
Absolute nonsense, if you think Chelsea fans give a flying f*** about their players nationality then you really don't know what you are talking about, if he 'shines' he will be worshipped from the terraces, if he 'flops' he will be subject to the sort of criticism the rest of the team have been subject to in recent weeks (yes even Mr Hazard).
Well I think the reports have been pretty fair, I've seen this boy twice, first when he played England with his national team and then last night against Spurs and to be honest with you he didn't have a great game either time - that doesn't mean that I think he is c*ap because he is an American and also it doesn't mean that I think he is c*ap at all! the boy has potential no question but like ALL young players with potential he blows hot and cold (I think his decision making could improve and of course with experience IT WILL I feel sure of that), Sancho had a pretty good first half yet was anonymous in the second - there is no point papering over the cracks for either of them that's just how the game went. As an English based English Chelsea supporter I am excited about Pulisic, Loftus Cheek and Hudson Odoi, I reckon they could all develop into fabulous players - of course there are no guarantees but I wish all of them the very best.
Understandable - the headlines made it seem that way initially and many here believed it. The details came out later. In addition to the quotes from Suyuntuy, Pulisic's dad confirmed they met... https://www.express.co.uk/sport/foo...Christian-Pulisic-Mark-Pulisic-Maurizio-Sarri
I just think that the British press are going to demand a lot from America's first "soccerball" superstar and would love to see him fall on his arse. Bob Bradley was written off the moment he signed his Swansea contract but you don't hear much criticism of his successors who between them have established Swansea as a mid-table Championship side. And then there's sweet FA. Poor old Freddy Adu. There lies a perfect tabloid tale.
Brad Bobley? Yeah, that moron called it "soccer" and had a funny accent. Probably used big words too with that Princeton education. Frickin nerd.
But why do you think this? Why would they?? Bob Bradley was a roaring failure at Swansea there is no point denying that, his nationality is completely and utterly immaterial what on earth makes you think that the British have some kind of 'problem' with Americans??? Why should they? The British press have a 'love affair' with Northern clubs and generally dislike London clubs, apart from that I fail to see ANY reason why they would 'hate' on Americans! I think its all in 'some' Americans heads and probably says more about 'American' attitudes towards British (English) football than it does the other way around.
The same Swansea that's languishing mid table in the Championship barely two years later. That team had a severe lack of talent. Bob wasn't great, but lets not kid ourselves and say he was given a real chance. When he was hired he was not greeted very kindly. Fans and players alike. The only thing that should be held against Bob was taking the job in the first place. Swansea was a mess. If Bob had coached Chelsea to the same record they have right now, he would have been fired a month ago.
I have no problem with Bob Bradley as a coach but I remember watching a clip of a training session early on he had with Swansea. He stopped the session so he could demonstrate to the forward (can’t remember who) how to receive the ball and turn towards goal. My first thought was that was not going to go over well and looked more like something you would do in a U-15 training session than with an EPL pro. He did seem to run into a credibility problem with the players.