look at the bright side ... if Tuchel keeps Pulisic and keeps him on the bench ... there is a non zero chance Sterling and Mount both could get injured prior to the WC .... while Pulisic is healthy. Just sayin - yes I know. OTOH - Dan James is going to collect lots of good insights about Aaronson and Adams for Wales.
I agree with this. And, I also wouldn't mind Newcastle since they are historically a massive club and now have some ambitious money. St. James' Park is also quite the stadium to play in.
Pulisic is trapped. As much as the Chelsea fans knock him - if Sterling or Mount get injured or suspended who else can play on either side without flinching? Chelsea are going to keep him for insurance and sell him for top dollar after the WC where he’ll probably shine. Pulisic will get enough games before Qatar so not terrible to stay but he needs to go - and he knew all of this before we did. from the first Tuchel comments about being an off the bench impact player through all the player transfers and issues - Pulisic has seen and heard Tuchel in person to know how he thinks and views him in the squad. Explains why Pulisic dropped Chelsea from his Instagram and starting to position himself for the eventual move or hard nosed contract renegotiations
He’s a better attacking player than either Havertz or Mount. All Christian needs to Sonia’s ray active in practice and be patient
To be fair all three are very good players I’d say Havertz is the most talented , effective and he’s sooooo young as well at just 23
Also, Havertz is 6’ 3”. CF may not be his best position but it is good to have someone with size on the front line. Chelsea seems to be still looking for a CF. He is a versatile playee.
Chelsea really did make a 45 million dollar bid on the Gordon kid at Everton. I thought it may just be a rumor, but it’s legit. That, more than anything, tells me that CPs time is up at Chelsea. Yes, he may still get some minutes here and there, but TT has made his view clear. Many of us figured this would be his last season at Chelsea, but it sure is looking like he should have left this summer instead…
If he plays better he'll be fine. Cho is going out on loan. They aren't letting Ziyech leave yet. This move let's Ziyech leave if it happens. Right now he is first attacker off the bench, not bad for a team like Chelsea.
I doubt Chelsea is looking to buy an expensive player to take Ziyech’s spot on the bench. More likely they’re looking at Aubameyang to play in Havertz’s spot, with Havertz then displacing Pulisic as the first off the bench. I have no idea what Chelsea is planning to do with Gordon. I can’t imagine they’re looking to spend 45-50 million for a depth piece, but he doesn’t obviously displace any current starters. In the end, though, the fact that Chelsea continues to seek (relative expensive) attacking players doesn’t bode well for Pulisic.
Auba to replace or back up Havertz (they need two deep at most every position) Ziyech or Odoi is gone and Gordon is a backfill .... I agree with the general concern about Gordon but just trying to figure out some logic here ...
A team like Chelsea will want 5-6 players they trust to play significant minutes in the attack. Ideally the 6th player would be an older back-up or youth player that doesn't expect to start much. Right now they have Sterling, Mount, Havertz and Pulisic. With Ziyech and Cho likely on the way out. Chelsea are and should be looking to add 1-2 players. It's Chelsea so the players won't be terrible. If we are scared of Gordon then we don't rate Pulisic that highly. If he can regain his Champions League run form he will be fine. If his timid play from last year continues he'll need to move in January or next Summer. It's possible Tuchel's system is holding Pulisic back and he may need a manager or team change to shake things up at some point.
I wouldn't be too surprised if Puli starts against Leeds. He needs to show something though. And that is the problem. His production is not that bad, but he is often less involved than other players and that is due in part to the others seldom passing the ball to him. That is becoming annoying. This last time I saw him signaling several times, with space in front, and getting ignored. Meritocracy is a fiction. Let's say you have a software company with 9 workers. All 9 are male, all 9 interact as guys, and you know all 9 would be uncomfortable with a female around. If the best candidate for the #10 employee is a woman, you have to consider the hit in production on the other 9 too. So, basically, she has to be hugely better than the best male choice to have a chance. Meritocracy depends on context. Brutal and I hate it, but that's how it is. Same in a team. If Puli can do awesome stuff, but he's much less likely to get involved in the plays because of the other players rather passing it back or to anyone else, then he'd have to be phenomenal to stand a chance. Life is unfair.
If Pulisic started 2 consecutive games and didn’t score, it would be guaranteed that Tuchel would drop him for the next match. It will be interesting to see what happens with Havertz. It’s curious to see the perception of Havertz vs Pulisic because they have similar rates production though their Chelsea careers. Havertz obviously got the big goal, but he was in position to score the big goal. I don’t think we can discount German bias as a factor.
Love Havertz. It is true that German bias might be there, but its worth noting that the manager just sold another leading German striker. The reason Havertz plays so much is because in addition to his CF qualities-size in particular, (the coaching staff believes) he presses much more effectively than anyone else Chelsea have in that position AND he can combine with the other forwards. His positioning is really strong and he contributes to forcing turnovers high up the field. (Doesn't mean he's always the one forcing the turnover). Given what we know about Tuchel's commitment to this type of play my expectation that's why Havertz consistently get starts. And remember, Pulisic played in that CF position (false 9 if you like) last season and did a reasonable job also.
I just can’t see a front three of Pulisic, Sterling and Mount except for the odd match here and there. It might be interesting but undersized for Premier league.
If Pulisic wants to play more, he has to be better than the current options. He needs to up his game and his production. Or wait for substitute minutes.