That would be awful, but don't think so... Man, surely Tuchel remembers Pulisic scored against Liverpool last time and I'm sure he watched Pulisic's great game 2 years ago against Liverpool....I think that counts. Also, Tuchel does seem to reward good offensive performances with consecutive starts... CP healthy and has his mojo...Mount is just coming back.....Ziyech dinged up. Gotta think it is either: ------- Kai-------- CP----------Mount OR -------Lukaku---- CP--------------- Kai
From the article: "Lukaku's omission came after he registered just seven touches against Palace, the fewest by a Premier League player involved for 90 minutes since records began in 2003." (My comment) Surely they don't watch Norwich play.....
Finally... CP puts it all together. By far his best game of the year. He really looked quick out there and very decisive. Pure class on that finish... had lots of good passes and interchanges and I absolutely LOVED his hustle to get back on that counter to stop Sanches.
Well for those who thought he could not play as a 10, he played more as a ten than he did a wide attacking forward. He is not a chalk on his boots winger , but in TT.s system one of those wide guys is free to find the spaces in the middle. That is what our guy does, it is what he has always done, he just needs for that to be a part of his responsibilities on the regular. I still think he might be faster with the ball on his foot than he is without. I know that is unheard of, but really. if he gets a step on the dribble he is damned hard to catch and few defenders can do it, but he doesn't seem all that "fast" when just running. Good game today, but he was playing his natural position, and he really doesn't appear to "think" as much at that spot. He just plays on instinct. Who could have known playing all over the pitch could make a guy hesitant and overthink things?
The benefit of having 11 or 12 world class big buck players on your team is you can hope one or two of them will earn their bank any given game. You can afford a Lukaku slump if Z and CP are hitting, or a Z and CP slump if Chillwell and James are hitting or... This performance might get CP through the winter window unsold.
No one is saying he's a 4-4-2 LM. He's a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 LW and a wide forward in Tuchels system. I'm a huge fan but how many assists does he have so far this year? He is very good at turning and carrying the ball out of midfield especially if the Ref isn't letting people hack him down. That doesn't make him KDB. I do agree he was in the Mount role today where he dropped deeper to help initiate the attack.
I wasn't saying he could be KDB, he is way too light for that. I do think he can play very well in the middle of a 4-2-3-1. I think he plays the position different, but he is very effective in that spot especially if you get it to him quick. If you want to argue his stats say he can't create goals, then this season that is certainly true. Over the course of his career to date, he has been most effective as a chaos agent. He is technical and skilled enough he can play in tight spaces as well as the open field. He looks to be learning how to avoid some of the early contact hard fouls he has been getting and today at least he was making quicker mostly correct decisions. WRT to CFC Jorginho is a hindrance if they want to play a 4-2-3-1. Alonso is not a fullback, and when Reece is back he is a very good WB, so I would be very surprised if we see that formation very often. He can be very productive from a wide attacking position, but I happen to think that is not his best spot. I am okay if I am the only who thinks that.
Christian Pulisic at LW vs Lille (Champions League) 22/02/2022 pic.twitter.com/ikO6pCfH89— . (@CFC_Comps2) February 22, 2022
"I think he's got more quality than Mason Mount, Ziyech, Havertz ... technically, and movement with the ball, he's the best player I've seen quality wise, I just haven't seen it enough."- Jamie Carragher on Christian Pulisic(via @CBSSportsGolazo) pic.twitter.com/qkuAnKmmeD— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 22, 2022
Henry pointed out how Pulisic did all his best work in transition, which is true. He goes on to state that the area he needs to improve in is unlocking the attack when the “team is low” and not in transition. It’s something we need to see more of with the USMNT as well when so many of the games are played against opponents who tactically play with a low block which minimize transition opportunities.
This was CP's first successful game of the year, IMHO. All the rest of the data from earlier games is irrelevant to any argument about him going forward from this game. If proved unequivocally that he hasn't "lost it" and that he can (and should) be outstanding game to game. He probably doubled his year to date ball progression stats yesterday.
Said this is the other day but you don’t just drop someone into the 10 role and expect results. That’s going to be a process that’s going to start with low results and get better in a non linear fashion. Hopefully Tuchel sticks with him through up and down performances
Pulisic doesn't really have the vision/creativity to unlock a low block with his passing. He is very good at quick combination passing which can be effective against the low block but Chelsea as a team struggle with this. I think with the right team/chemistry he could be more effective. Obviously he can create off the dribble as well but it's very tough against a settled organize defense.
How many attackers have been successful at doing what it is suggested Pulisic should be doing here? Messi? Goals are scored in transition and off dead balls. Pulisic is not going to be a part of dead ball goals while Tuchel is at Chelsea as he doesn't take corners and he isn't in the box for them either. So he is only going to show up on the score sheet on the few occasions Chelsea counter. The rest of the time his job is to maintain possession, get fouled, and play some defense as needed.
Another viewpoint of the all touches. (Less zoomed in). Christian Pulisic vs Lille (H) Champions League round of 16 pic.twitter.com/QCeVrIMmkj— usmntclip (@usmntclip) February 23, 2022
Henry was comparing Pulisic, rightly or wrongly, fairly or unfairly, to Eden Hazard and what he did well at Chelsea.
Great slide tackle by CP. My coach taught me 35 years ago how to tackle with outside of foot. It makes a helluva lot more sense- you can nick the ball quicker (often the difference between success and failure) and you will almost never get a yellow card or hurt someone. It’s a real natural and effective motion with practice and I’m surprised still more players don’t (or exclusively) use it vs. the big swinging motion with other leg- ripe for trouble
Makes perfect sense to me...a guy goes 4/5, hits a home run but his .200 seasonal batting average is "irrelevant"?
People don't want to believe me, but technically Puli is above Ziyech, CHO, or Havertz. The issue is his vision, his awareness of the rest of the team... and his body. Puli does better in the Champions because teams in his own league have learned his secret. Puli knows genetics has not been generous to him, and he's always a hard tackle away from being out for the season. Tackle him hard early, he'll keep quiet for the rest of the game.
Always been a problem. For some reason our few players with good long-range shots tend not to be good enough in other areas. Because we have so few dangerous long range shooters, fouls outside the box are not so dangerous and packed box defense works. We need more dangerous 20 yard shooters for sure. CP is not one.
This fan angle of Christian Pulisic's griddy 🕺(h/t @kitspod) pic.twitter.com/LDVosHkxFD— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 23, 2022