Chelsea needs the USMNT version of Christian Pulisic

The international break sees Chelsea players spread around the globe for a short period of time. Thiago Silva’s Brazil qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and Ben Chilwell and Reece James’ England thrashing Albania 5-0 were some of the notable headlines early in the break. Nevertheless, it was a rivalry match between the United States and Mexico that attracted the attention of many on Friday evening. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until the 69′ when Blues star Christian Pulisic came on as a substitute.

His introduction completely changed the game as he scored the go-ahead goal less than five minutes after he came on. America added a second to cap off the night with a 2-0 victory, its first time beating El Tri three times in a calendar year since 1943, all inspired by the play of Pulisic. “Captain America” topped off his stellar substitute showing by celebrating his goal with a shirt revealing a phrase that mocked Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s quote from earlier in the week. It goes without saying that Chelsea could use a bit of that fire from Pulisic.

Chelsea needs the USMNT version of Christian Pulisic to ensure success

This isn’t the first time Pulisic has shown a bit of arrogance in his career, especially against his country’s fiercest rival. The 23-year-old buried a penalty earlier in the year to sink Mexico. He followed that up by sprinting to the corner in front of the El Tri faithful, removing his jersey and putting his finger to his lips to silence the crowd. Pulisic embraced the projectiles being thrown at him and stood there like a statue—ice flowing in his veins. He leads his country’s golden generation with a certain style that just oozes confidence. Pulisic is the leader for the United States, he’s not afraid to let you know that either.

Pulisic is at his best when he seemingly has something to prove. When the spotlight shines brightest, he turns up. Chelsea supporters saw this at the club level when he single-handedly put the Blues on his back to lift them into the top four following the COVID-19 break. The American phenom may not be the brightest young star on his team, or the league for that matter, but Thomas Tuchel needs to channel that energy every time his winger gets onto the field.

Chelsea hasn’t had an attacking star with that much personality on the pitch since the departure of Diego Costa. The Blues already have a calm, yet cocky, leader at the back in Antonio Rudiger. A confident goalscoring winger would only make one of the deepest teams in Europe even better. If Pulisic can bring this fire to the Premier League, there’s no telling what he could do with the talent surrounding him in the starting XI—especially when the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner come back fit and in form.

Pulisic needs to do something to “revive” his club career. He’s been very good for Chelsea overall when he’s fit, there’s no denying that. The problem is he’s missed 42 matches for the Blues already in just two-and-a-half seasons with the team. Pulisic brings a direct goalscoring influence that Chelsea’s other wide attackers don’t offer. He’s one of the best dribblers in the squad and his direct approach gives the Blues another lethal option up top. If he can lead the front lines with the confidence that he does when playing for the United States, he’ll quickly cement his place in the starting XI for Tuchel. Chelsea needs to see some on-field fight and arrogance from the American.

What do you think would help Pulisic succeed more at the club level? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!