At least a few times a game, he receives the ball, turn and try to move up field then had it taken away from him; not realizing the defenders had already closed in on him. He seems half a step slow on every ball possession.
People need to slow with the "Pulisic needs to score/assist now" train. He's coming back from a long hamstring injury lay off. Give him a few more weeks and he'll come back to his scoring. Lampard and Chelsea know what they have with Pulisic, that's why they keep starting him, 4 starts in less than 2 weeks.
He played a major role in each of their last three goals. Not on the stat sheet, but people should have noticed. He’s actually not on a cold streak at all.
There was a moment last game where Werner moved centrally (again, for a moment) and managed the turn with the ball with some space in front of the defenders and you were suddenly reminded why he was so dangerous in Germany. He drives with the ball at such pace that it's hard for most defenders to deal with -- but it seems he needs to be central to off balance the defender; he's quick enough that if you go right, he goes left, if you stand off him he goes around you. He doesn't have that luxury on the wing where the sideline is a natural help for a defender. More and more it seems like Lampard is sabotaging himself, his team, and Werner by forcing him out of position.
Happy New Year! There's a lot to unpack in this thread, but I'll start with Chelsea as a team. Deep down, I'm not really a fan, so it doesn't matter to me personally how they play, what results they get, where they finish in the table, etc. But Pulisic plays for Chelsea, and all those things matter to him, so by extension, they matter to me/us. With that said, I greatly prefer that Chelsea play well when Pulisic is on the field, and not-so-well when he's off it. Ideally the boost he brings when present - and the drop-off that occurs when he's not - should be crystal clear. Still, Chelsea's PL results should never be so bad that the team drops out of Champions League contention, for example. Addressing one particular concern, it doesn't really bother me when Pulisic is played 'out-of-position.' Rightly or wrongly, I still think of the next two or three seasons (including this one) as a developmental period. I'm fine with seeing him on the right as well as the left, although (if only as a personal favor to me) I'd like to see him log some time in the middle as well. I certainly like the idea that whenever he feels isolated and outside the flow of the game, he does whatever is necessary to (re-)inject himself into the game, to find the ball and ignite the offense.
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation...reece-james-for-sundays-manchester-city-match Ziyech is back in training and available; James is still out.
The part of your post I kept makes me think you and I share the same brain. This is how I feel as well. On another tack, when does Chelsea play next?
I am a Chelsea Fan.... but I am a USMNT fan above all... so when he plays the game is probably the most important I will watch all week... and I watch way too much soccer. At any rate.... I too would like to see him played in the middle... I.e. ACM and try and play the role Bruno is playing for Man U. This would allow him to interchange on both sides of the pitch and get more touches overall. It would require a bit extra effort on the press and on D but it would allow Werner to stay on the left and Ziyech to play on the right. Lastly... I think the midfield movement has been subpar for large portions of the season and putting CP in the middle might be the creative spark they need: Werner ------ Giroud ------- Ziyech Mount ------- Pulisic -------- Kante Chilwell - Silva - Zouma - James
The problem with Real Madrid is that it's the pinnacle of the game. Once a player makes it there, there is no place with more prestige to go. So many just seem to stop striving and become comfortably mediocre, with a top reputation and a top salary.
It scares you that Pulisic might not "save" Chelsea and everyone will turn on him? Relax. Fans, media and the team will turn on him if he plays consistently poor or if he is injured too much. That's it. No one expects him to be a savior but they do expect him to play well, which he has been doing lately.
To be fair to Bale, he didn't take it easy when getting to Real Madrid. He took it easy after winning everything with Real Madrid. He was a phenomenal signing for them.
This thread, while always extreme in this that and other, has put a thought in my head that I didn’t have before. That Pulisic is struggling. These past few games since hems been back from injury he has been really good, really dangerous and absolutely a driving force for the meager results Chelsea has been getting. It did not really occur to me that he was struggling to score until reading these past couple of pages. I personally do not think he is struggling at all. His ball control is messi like at times, it is awesome. His quickness and control and his passing is on a dime. His crosses find teammates’ heads which lead to chances, unlike other folks crosses. He is creating his own chances and chances for others. He is a joy to watch. It’ll be even more sensational when he scores some, but man, if folks are claiming he is part of a problem at Chelsea those folks are missing some truly beautiful soccer Pulisic is playing.
I think Lampard should try to either play CP or Werner in the middle as shadow striker behind Giroud or Abraham.....Maybe having Werner play there and asking him to track back in helping the 2 central midfielders.
Statistically speaking, Werner is a pretty lousy defender. Pulisic is superior to him in nearly every defensive category. For all the talk on this forum about Pulisic playing token defense, his defensive stats are quite good for an attacking player. https://fbref.com/en/players/49fe9070/Timo-Werner https://fbref.com/en/players/1bf33a9a/Christian-Pulisic
Sorry, Tallavana! Chelsea don't want attackers that defend good, Chelsea wants defenders that attack good!"
Of course he has been playing well. Most people have noted that, as has Franlk Lampard, himself. Some of us just wish that he had more stats, in terms of goals and assists , to show of it. I'll never know how people go to a thread to discuss the finer details of an individual athlete or team and then wonder why there is some criticism...