im very shocked they stop matches for fans with serious injuries. I have worked many professional events as a cop, college events and concerts and the like.. we have EMS on staff and we have had fans die at events no one even knew. Not being callous at all but just shocked but then again we are the US. Other countries do it better than us.
While I wouldn't want Pulisic to be moved to a "false 9" position permanently, learning about the role would be a positive for him. He can use the focus and directness, even when going back to wing. A "false 9" is very aware of where the rival's goal is and the defensive positioning of the rival. One of the big issues with Pulisic in the past was dribbling himself into a corner. BTW, funny how people like when I include European reports praising our players, but turn on me in a second when those reports are not so positive. One way or another, Pulisic needs to produce.
Pulisic needs to stop getting thrown around so much. Yes, he’s small, but I think part of it is mental and attitude. Maybe he’s trying to use that to his advantage by drawing fouls, but he gets beat up that way. Also, I think he needs to pop up quicker instead of staying down so long. Makes him look weak and like fresh meat. I used to train and compete in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and no matter how beat up and tired I was, I would pop up right away at the end of a round like it was no big deal. A lot of times it was about breaking the opponent’s will by showing him that he cannot outlast you. Best feeling in the world seeing the opponent mentally give up…or hearing him gurgle for breath right before tapping. Anyway, Pulisic needs that attitude.
Nice to see Pulisic go 90, especially given how physical Watford was. Chelsea's midfield struggled but that did give Pulisic a few chances to counter in space but he was never able to get a good shot or key pass. Looked good in his RWB cameo but didn't do much to help his chances today. He'll stay in the mix as usual.
Chelsea had a better second half once that black hole named Ñiguez got replaced. Pulisic played at least three different roles today: false 9, wide forward/wing, and RWB. His worst moments were as the False 9. Tuchel, being an intelligent man, may be trying to get him used to being more direct by playing him there.
He needs to take quicker shots imo. Always tries finding the perfect look. That play where he passed to havertz, he shoulda been more selfish
Even the most die hard Pulisic fans have to admit that he has not been making the most of his chances. I know, he just came back from injuries; but that's multiple starts now where he simply look 'average'. While he's being average today, this is what his competition did. Mount - Assist and goal Havertz - Assist and looking livelier Ziyech - Goal Pulisic simply has to do more to compete for minutes and stand out from the pack.
Really, for December, CP needs to stay healthy to get minutes. There's just too many minutes. As things calm down in the new year it may be a bit of a different story, but they have another game in like 60 some hrs... But it would be more better if he did more with his starts and locked in the role for when the crazy schedule calms down.
He's never going to be a fan favorite or a team star, but he's doing his job. He's so technically gifted, he's a constant risk on the other team's defense. Pulisic can create a goal for himself based on dribbling and making space for himself. It's as a team player that he fails. He makes poor decisions, fails to see the open guy, and keeps himself isolated from the main attack. Retreats when he should go forward, drives for the corner when he should run centrally, and in general zigs when he should zag. He's immensely gifted as a dribbler and as someone who can keep the ball and go past players. But to be a team star, you need a brain. And, frankly, Puli plays dumb.
His runs are generally good and he's great at quick one touch passes to escape pressure in midfield. He just consistently struggles to lead a dangerous counter attack. Just never seems to make the right pass at the right time. Beyond health it's the biggest thing holding him back that I can see.
Player Ratings from the Media in England (remember: you're free to not read or put me on ignore, as a matter of fact I already have 70% of people here on ignore, only way to make the site usable --most people here don't want to talk actual soccer): https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/fixtures-results/chelsea-player-ratings-vs-watford-22337271 Christian Pulisic Could have had an assist had he released Havertz earlier but the German ran offside. Moved to wing-back after Lukaku's introduction but had a quiet game all told. 6 [Of course Mount got an 8. It should be noted the media consensus over there is that Niguez sucks, so he gets 4 and Pavon of the match correctly.] https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-player-ratings-watford-mount-saul-b969518.html Christian Pulisic - 5 Touch let him down on two occasions early in the second half when he could and should have at least worked the goalkeeper. [Fair observation. Again, Niguez the Pavon, and Mount the MOTM.] https://www.90min.com/posts/watford-1-2-chelsea-player-ratings Christian Pulisic (LF) - 6/10 - Loose in possession in the nervy opening exchanges. Moved to wing-back and chipped in defensively. [90Min is originally from Israel but has been based in London for a few years already. They've noted astutely how inconsequential is Azpi in RWB. Puli looked the better option. Eventually, he may be competition to the returning James.] https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/16913191/chelsea-player-ratings-saul-niguez-mount/ Christian Pulisic - 6 He was also all over the place in the first 45, could not dribble, could not pass, kept giving it away, and he didn't help out much defensively either. His second half was much much better and he affected things a lot more. Spent the final 20 minutes of the match at right wing-back. [The Klinsmann wisdom that "anybody can play LB" should be more applied to RWB. After all, only 5% of the population are left-footed. But RWB is a particularly good role for a guy who can dribble and create his own space, while not being that good at coordinating attack moves with other players. So, if not a supersub, it wouldn't be a terrible thing if Puli grows into that job.] https://www.westlondonsport.com/chelsea/football-watford-chelsea-fc-player-ratings-191696 Christian Pulisic: 6 Put in a tireless performance but struggled against a physical Watford defence and was perhaps lucky to avoid injury after being barged into an advertising board by William Troost-Ekong. Might have had a first-half assist if he had played in Havertz a split-second quicker. [Finally some recognition for all the ground Puli covered, and moving from an wide AM spot to RWB late in the game is not something anyone can do --working the full side is very tiring, and Puli was asked to do it after 67 minutes already running.] Overall, there is a consensus that Tuchel needs to move on from Niguez, that some chemistry is growing between Havertz and Ziyech, and that defensively Chelsea looks good when Thiago Silva is there.
In the false-9 role, it is Pulisic's job to open up space for the other players. He has to run a lot and the defenders will follow him. This has the side effect of getting Pulisic super fit, which I am sure is not lost on Tuchel. The false-9 is one of the hardest positions to play. You have to be a good, quick passer to connect with the midfield, you have to dribble well when you have the space, you have to see everyone around you, and you have to run like crazy to make the runs from deep towards goal. Tuchel is really giving Pulisic a gift by playing him here now, although I think Pulisic will transition out of this role come January. He will get better at it as he gets fitter.
This is what I see. He plays like a guy that's used to being much better than everyone else and doing it all himself. He always goes straight at goal, only passes to create a 1-2 so he can get the ball back right away; otherwise doesn't look for the open man and find them fast enough. His ability to advance the ball is elite, but he lacks the craft or cleverness to use his dribbling to create space, deceive defenders or really do anything but drive to goal. Fairly one dimensional at this phase, which makes him easy to stop when scouted. Still pretty young, but he'll need reps and consistency to develop these aspects of his game. Raheem Sterling was sorta similar; fairly 1-dimensional guy who fell apart in the final third, whether it was the last pass or shot. When things "clicked" for him, he started operating a world class level. So it could all come together for Christian in a similar way.
Bad game yesterday. For once I agree with the bad comments from the papers. But I think his overall game is fine. He's going to be all right if he stays healthy.
I didn't find it to be a bad game, just disappointing that we've been waiting for a start and given the reins. So far as beating-the-UK-press horse goes, I noticed the color commentator (Karen Carney) heavily criticized CP for not releasing Havertz earlier, which was picked up by the papers. However, when Mount played the ball behind Pulisic also killing a breakaway, there was no criticism whatsoever.
I still see a lot of positives, so I think of yesterday's game at Watford as a step in the right direction. Played 90' + stoppage time (6'), bridging a long 1st-half delay. Not injured, didn't tighten up, not dragging/walking at the end - a good sign. TT trusts CP's versatility in switching positions - an added bonus. Played with a make-shift midfield, and the team as a whole didn't play well. A lot of playing time is headed CP's way, if he can stay healthy, given heavy fixture congestion and a lengthy list of injuries to Chelsea players. Start one, sub one is not such a bad thing, on short rest. Let's map it out: 12/1 @ Watford - started 12/4 @ West Ham - sub role likely 12/8 @ Zenit (CL Group Match 6) 12/11 v Leeds 12/16 v Everton 12/19 @ Wolves 12/22 @ Brentford (EFL Cup quarterfinal) 12/26 @ Aston Villa 12/29 v Brighton (maybe rest up for Liverpool) 1/2 v Liverpool (or super-sub, if starting v Brighton) 1/8 FA Cup match (3rd round) 1/15 @ Man City 1/22 v Tottenham 1/27-2/2 International Break (El Salvador|Canada|Honduras) 2/5 FA Cup (4th round) 2/9 Club World Cup (semifinal) It seems almost fanciful to map out a stretch of games like this, as CP is so often injured/unavailable. Remaining fully match fit is obviously crucial.