Chelsea winter evaluation: Wingers past and future

Christian Pulisic, United States

Remember when Pulisic was barely playing and it was the end of the world? Pulisic came off an injury plagued season, went straight into the Gold Cup, and then went straight back to Chelsea. Lampard not using him so he could rest was a rarely seen excuse because he must have been biased against the American.

Of course all of that was nonsense. Pulisic rested up and was eased into the squad and it worked perfectly. Chelsea’s winning run was, in large part, done on the back of Pulisic. It is no mistake that Chelsea’s down turn in fortunes has coincided with Pulisic’s absence.

He is not an Eden Hazard replacement by any means but he has certainly helped to fill the void. Pulisic’s creativity on the ball and his work rate off the ball have made Chelsea click this season. He made left wing his own.

The main concern will be his fitness. Injuries last year were what they were. But the current injury has kept him out for quite some time too. These things can happen but it is a worrying trend. The best thing to do might be to rest him more often in the run in and save him for the important days. After all, he is approaching over a year of nearly nonstop playing.

Performance so far: A slow start gave way to a burning run which was followed by a cool off.

Will he return next season: Of course. Pulisic may have struggled to find the field at first, but when fit he is now a starter.