Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic was challenged and rose to the challenge several times this season. He will be again, so what questions need to be asked of him?
Many like to rewrite history, but few were overly enthused about Christian Pulisic being the sole signing coming in this season. Sure, he had potential, but very few expected him to explode on to the scene in the way he did. He ended the season as a starter and as a much more polished player than he started. What questions need to be asked ahead of the new season?
1. Is he as locked in as a starter as he seems to be?
Given Pulisic’s end of season form, he easily wrote himself into everyone’s predicted XI for next season. He channeled the spirit of Eden Hazard and put the Blues on his back in many games towards the end of the campaign.
It is often forgotten that he had a burst of form like that earlier in the season too and then faded off somewhat. His injury split his season into two and then he did return better than ever. The only question is how consistent that might be.
At Dortmund, Pulisic similarly operated in bursts and fades, though he never faded as much at Chelsea nor did he burst out as much at Dortmund. Frank Lampard has not been shy about challenging the American, perhaps more than any other player, and it seems to have worked mostly.
Many expect Pulisic to play the majority of games next season, but given his injury issues that may not be wise. Obviously, he is extremely talented and Lampard has helped him become a Premier League star, but Pulisic carries the weight of club and country on his shoulders when he plays. One of the reasons why Lampard was hesitant to throw him straight into Premier League action was because the American had returned from injury in January and then played virtually nonstop until he joined Chelsea.
The American will surely be a starter next season, it just may not be as often as many want. The last thing Lampard will want is to injure or burnout the American through overuse. At the moment, there are few other options, but Pulisic will have to be managed carefully to continue this form.