Chelsea: Christian Pulisic has been Blues’ best player since the restart
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has burst onto the scene since the resumption of play, announcing himself as the Blues’ best player.
Trying to choose a superior performer between Christian Pulisic and Willian is purely trivial, but the American has cemented his position as one of the most crucial Chelsea players since the restart. He deserved Man of the Match against Watford as he strung together a fifth-straight near perfect performance. He was an irresistible force going forward in the game against the Hornets’ defense.
Since the restart, and coming off a more serious injury that was initially thought, Captain America—as he has been dubbed—has been a revelation for the Chelsea side. The Blues have racked up four wins to a single loss since the resumption of play. Pulisic has been a major part of this win streak. It has become increasingly more apparent that the kid from the USA has earned the confidence of Chelsea’s greatest goal-scorer in history and current manager, Frank Lampard.
Lampard has given Pulisic a major role in each of the club’s important games since the restart. There’s a good reason for it. Chelsea has essentially no margin of error with Manchester United firmly planted on its heels, the Blues must win and hope for the in-form United to lose to be certain of Champions League football in 2020-21. This struggle will go on until the end of the season, surely.
In light of this, Lampard has wheeled out his best team virtually every game since the league began play. He has no choice if he is to achieve the club’s top goal for 2019/20, earning Champions League play next season with all the financial and ancillary benefits that come along with it. One of those benefits is the ability to attract additional top footballers from Europe, who will desire this perk, as well as a top salary to agree to a transfer. That is usually the case.
Fortunately for Chelsea, they have already secured the great talents of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner prior to cementing Champions League football. But, Chelsea is in need of several—not just one or two—key additions to make the team a threat to the Premier League and other European elites. These needs include an attacking midfielder, two or three starting players in the backline and a new keeper. This is a tall order for Chelsea—a very tall one.
Players must be sold, but this is necessary if the club is to even attempt to challenge the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the future. Chelsea’s activities in the transfer market this summer will answer the question as to if the club seeks to challenge Europe’s best or is satisfied with being a really good—but not quite good enough—for European glory squad. Luckily, the Blues’ move for Pulisic a year-and-a-half ago established their intent to be the former.
As the final weeks of the 2019/20 season unfold, a lot rides on the outcome of the remaining games. Yet, one thing is clear: the participation of Pulisic, Willian, Olivier Giroud and even Ross Barkley—who is is emerging as a very solid player for Chelsea—will be critical to the prospects of the team achieving Champions League football in 2020/21.
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The stage is set, but the outcome is unclear. It will be very interesting to see if Captain America and his teammates can win out to gain the prize. Very interesting, indeed.