Yes of course, although I don’t understand why you quoted my post. Anyways, it’s not as if Pulisic is cutting in every single time he has the ball. He also goes straight for the bi-line and puts in a pass early sometimes. As long as Pulisic has the vision to immediately make the pass to one of his unmarked teammates when that 2nd or 3rd defender pops over then he should be fine.
I always look at trends. The trend at this point is for their play to falter, their health to wane and their effectiveness not to mention team coordination to drop. I find it astonishing that Liverpool owners cannot find the money to buy top quality players. Eventually this will force Klopp to over reach with the current squad causing problems. Chelsea and ManU are poised to reap the rewards. Assuming Zitech can pick out a pass and werner continues to show unselfish play, CP can score 20 goals next season or at this point allow Will(i)an to score 10 and CP 10.
I totally agree. Especially given the fact that such a pedestrian footballer as Jadon Sancho was the sole reason that he was knocked off his perch. "Christian! You're 20! Get it together!"
Pulisic played behind numerous other players at Dortmund than just Sancho. The point is that he was not considered a surefire top player at the time of the transfer. It was still largely based on potential.
Yes, I should just call him zmith. I switch between german and french KB and forget sometimes the names. Y and Z are interchanged on the German KB. Plus Zitech is a nice nickname. So blame my ethnic kezboards.
When you assume worst case scenario for Liverpool and best case for others, lots of hypotheticals become possible. Either way when you’re as financially responsible and image conscious its very difficult to furlough staff and then turn around and spend 60M on a new striker, especially when you don’t know when matchday revenue is resuming. Chelsea have effectively sold to buy, and that’s simply not the position Liverpool are in. I’m not concerned about Chelsea actually getting within spitting distance of this Liverpool until they put together a competent back line. This exciting attack might end up worthy of 3rd next season, but the rest of their squad would be decidedly lucky to be top 5 or so. Either way, still don’t have a reason you think of Hazard as central playmaker when he’s only played approximately 20% of his time there?
None of this is how I saw it. It is one narrative, but there is another narrative that talks about he was used for a lot more than just attacking at BVB. He got fatigued, he was used at multiple positions in multiple formations, and often played a decoy on offense. He showed his first year and a half as a pro that he was for real. Then the team made some terrible coaching decisions. He still played most of the minutes he was available. Then contract negotiations and hard feelings over a unspecified commitment they had not kept, and he was never going to resign with them. BVB needed to find out if JBL was going to be good enough or they needed to find another player to take over his role. It looked like their spot in CL was secure and they began to build for the next season. When it looked like they might need some points Chris played the rest of the way. Chelsea were up against it and needed to replace an already leaving Hazard. There was no reason to think CP would replace Hazard, but there was enough to know he could produce at the CL level. His proven CL performances add a premium, and he was young, so there is a premium for young talent since they often improve. I suppose an argument could be made they paid too much, but they were in a vulnerable position. It isn't like they were ever going to have to send him out on the loan army. He was a proven CL performer, he might not be a starter, but he was always going to play for the first team, and I don't think there was ever any doubt on that.
When you start laying out the facts of his last 2 seasons at BVB, it was not an environment for him to flourish. 4 coaches in 2 years. All of them asking him to do something a bit different. CP getting a season with a consistent coach with consistent expectations looks to have done him a bit if good. Did Chelsea pay too much for him? Maybe, particularly when taken in context of that specific point. But, I think that the cost of doing business in European soccer is always going up. In 5 years he will probably look like a bargain.
I don’t know the probability of Chelsea making next year’s CL with and without Pulisic. My sense is that it is significantly higher with him in the squad than not. I also don’t know the value of making CL, either financially or psychically for the fans. But I have a hunch that multiplying that probability adder times that value might well exceed his transfer fee. On most of the Chelsea boards right now there are multiple posters describing the team as Pulisic FC. When the offense is stalled, he gets it going. Even when he doesn’t pick up a goal or an assist, he is sufficiently menacing to unnerve or draw the focus of the defense in ways that lead to other scoring opportunities. Regardless of his future career, I would suspect that there are a great many experienced Chelsea supporters who would scoff right now at the notion that his transfer fee was too high.
If the one Chelsea subreddit I lurk on is any indication, the transfer fee is rarely brought up at this point. And if it is, they look at it as the cost of doing business. They definitely see that their offense wouldn't be as good at it is without him.
i think in hindsight chelsea paid a fee for pulisic in keeping with an alternate reality where he had been played as a left winger instead of a right winger. nbd since they now play him at his preferred left.
Last Wednesday's gameday thread had 184 posts. I'll make one and edit this post to add a link. 7/7 Matchday Thread - Chelsea at Crystal Palace
Another start for Pulisic. Can't afford to rest him. Only 1 change from last line up, Gilmour in for injured Kante. Team news is in! 👊#CRYCHE pic.twitter.com/ZGMEpmfa2L— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 7, 2020
Wow... Jorgi must really be on his way out. Gilmour really struggled in his sub appearance in the last game.
This is Lumpy's management style. He did the same to Jayroo. My guess is this is how he silences the old dogs in the group. He puts them in their place then allows them to earn in back only after their replacement has squandered his opportunity. Unless Mount, Kante, Cheek, 'Don't call me Sr. Charles' Barkley, Givemore, and Kova falter, he's likely on his way back to Italy on a slow boat through Gibraltar. For my money, we will see him in a game soon where Lumpy's boys can't break down an organized defense and he needs some slick passing. WestHam would have been a good match for him to enter as a sub.
I haven't seen Gilmour do anything this season that would justify being in the 11 today. I look at him and I think he is not as good as Paxton Pomykal, which may be why I am typing on BS instead of managing Chelsea.
Frank's squad decisions: did we a.) win or b.) lose the previous game? if a, keep the same squad. If b, change the squad. Imagine getting paid his salary to do that
When he had to come on for Kante in the last game they showed a picture of him without his shirt on and he looked like he had the muscle tone of a 19 year old stoner that likes to play guitar and eat vegan. Really is impressive how much muscle Pulisic has put on since he was 19. Gilmour is going to need to do the same.