Quality of the EPL is certainly higher week in and week out than Bundesliga and Pulisic has adjusted his game. It's also fairly amazing how much tougher he is to muscle off the ball than just 9 months ago when he started in the league. I'm salivating at him playing with Werner up top instead of Giroud or Tammy.
They also had incredible club campaigns and won the CL. To win you seem to need to have 2 of these 3 things: - top-level season production - great performance on club level, aka very deep CL run or win a top league - great performance as a key part of international side within the previous year So, how likely is CP to accomplish 2 of those things? Compared to someone like an Mbappe, or perhaps even a Jadon Sancho, it doesn't seem likely for me. But he's still young, you certainly can't rule it out. I think it's very possible Giroud and Willian, because of the work they do and because they allow CP to be the point of the spear in many ways, might be really, really good for him.
Apparently Chelsea are in the clear to sign Havertz. I really dont understand where he fits on this team. Him and Ziyech are very similar. What they really need is defensive reinforcements.
Giroud is a really smart player that knows how to link up and create space but he's really slowed down and is only good for about 60 minutes twice a week these days. Won't get any younger next season. I like him but Werner is just a better option imo. I don't rate Tammy at all. Frankly he reminds me a lot of Jozy in England. He loses way more duels than he should for a guy of his size, looks like he's playing on skates too often, and is good for a quality finish once a month that tantalizes his potential -- that will likely never be fulfilled.
-----------Rudiger----Zouma--------------- ---James---------------------------new RB -------------------KAnte------------------------ -----------Kai-------------Mount--------------- ----Ziyech--------------------------Puli-------- -----------------Werner--------------------------- That attack is about as good as any
Seems kind of nuts that that lineup won't have a place for Willian, with the season he's having, but that does seem quite plausible.
if this side really wants to challenge for trophies beyond the defense/gk issues they will need more squad rotation. wilian in his 30s could do with a lighter load
I agree there's more talent in the EPL, making it even more impressive. I also think he's benefiting from the more open play. It seemed that most German teams were content to sit back and defend against BVB, but many EPL teams are more adventurous going forward even against the top teams, leading to more open play. Lampard's system is also set up for counter attacks in numbers and better exploits Pulisic's skillset. But mostly its just his maturation as a player and gaining confidence with age.
Again I'm going to have to reserve belief for when I see it actually happen. And this is pretty much a FIFA lineup... This kind of signing is in at least some small way to the detriment to CHO, and arguably both Tammy and Mount as well, and you've taken a lot of the defensive workrate out of BOTH the wing positions and CM, which further exposes the mediocre back 5, and makes them ripe for picking on the counter to most capably pacy/talented squads. The reality of Havertz not having many suitors due to COVID just means... he won't move this window. Same thing could easily apply to the likes of Sancho, despite both having tons of interesting. Havertz makes a lot of sense in a year for a Real Madrid splashy signing... he makes very little sense for Chelsea in summer 2020. If I'm wrong it wouldn't have been the first time, I'd just be really surprised if this happened; it's completely contrary to their needs right now.
Messi doesn't win ballons d'Or because he's a great 1 on 1 dribbler, just one of his many many tools. Either way, with CP, yes he's a great dribbler but this remains small sample size. Next box to tick is staying healthy and doing it over a full season. He's literally never done that before.
Your best defense is a great attack. I can't remember if I went into my Gerard Pique being overrated rant, but that philosophy is what made Pique *look* like one of the best CBs of his generation. Same with Chelsea here. It's the philosophy that Man City also use
He played in 32 of Dortmund's 34 Bundesliga matches in 2017-18. That's as close to full health as you're going to get out of a winger.
He's never played for a full season and produced on a high level throughout that season, is what I meant.
This seems overly reductive... Pique may be overrated, overall I'd agree especially as a "defender"... but you can get away with a lot when surrounded by the kind of talent that's been at Barca/Spain. And even then he has a very useful skillset in those system, playing with the likes of Puyol/Busquets, not to mention Messi. Similar things can be said about Pep's defenders at City. Don't think this applies to this FIFA Chelsea lineup... but hey, we'll see what happens if Havertz signs.
All metaphors are reductive. That's the point of metaphors. My point is that Chelsea and Lamapard seem to be going with a philosophy of overwhelming force in the attack, to protect a shaky backend.
He's a big fish in a small pond. I like to see him do it in the EPL or La Liga. When was the last time a guy in Leauge 1 won the ballon d'or, or whatever it was called before?
It feels good knowing America finally has THE guy in soccer @cpulisic_10 #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/GkIWGCaJph— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 8, 2020
If it wasn't due to Messi and Ronaldo dominating the football world the past decade, I wouldn't be surprised if Hazard walks home with the Ballon d'or in one of those years.
From our standpoint and CP's, how are we (and CP) to feel about this? They went out and bought two outstanding attacking players, and are (apparently) odds on to capture the other one that anyone really wants aside from Mbappe and Sancho. They are clearly trying to bolster their attacking forces, when CP is just tearing it up and they have Mount, RLC, CHO, Willian and CP vying already for minutes prior to the arrival of Ziyech and Werner, who ain't coming to sit on the bench. I know that's life in the big city, but sheeeeit, that's got to be hanging heavy on his mind.
I agree Messi is not winning ballons just because he's a great 1 on 1 dribbler (and never asserted otherwise). I'm simply curious as to who are the other elite dribblers in the world, and how Pulisic measures up.
It's a reasonable argument but I would say that Virgil is the best defender in the world right now, and despite Liverpool having one of the best attack forces on the planet, Virgil time and again shows us why he is the best defender in the world. Maybe he's the exception as I can definitely get behind what you're talking about for some defenders. It's always funny when teams like Real and Citeh go out and spend massive $$$ on a goalkeeper when in 95% of their games the GK has to make only 1-2 saves.