Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic is a man for the moment

Christian Pulisic’s hat-trick for the United States against Panama ensured that Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT took another step in the right direction on its 2022 World Cup qualification journey. Although the long trips to North America certainly do not help the young winger in preparing for Premier League fixtures, the importance of Pulisic’s form during the international break cannot be overemphasized enough.

After the first international break of the season, he returned with an ankle injury and he was unavailable for selection until November. The international break after that saw him make just two substitute appearances for America, which didn’t do much to help his poor run of form. Upon his return, he scored a goal against Leicester City, showing predatory instincts as a centre forward. This helped him grow in confidence as the season progressed. Now, after failing to score at Mexico last week, Chelsea’s Captain America found the net three times against Panama on Sunday.

Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic proved that he is a man for the moment with a hat-trick for the United States Men’s National Team versus Panama

The first two strikes showed the 23-year-old’s spectacular composure and brilliance from the penalty spot. His two goals from the spot helped the United States head into halftime with a 3-0 advantage. Meanwhile, the third effort went a long way in reminding us of why he was brought into the Chelsea squad. Pulisic’s third goal—and only strike from open play on the evening—was a world class goal that displayed his silky smooth dribbling ability. His first and second touches were superb as they helped him slide the ball past two defenders before he slotted it by Panama’s Luis Mejia and into the back of the net.

The former Borussia Dortmund forward has scored against Liverpool, Burnley and Lille—even matching Chelsea legend Eden Hazard’s Champions League tally—since the beginning of 2022. Fans are thrilled he’s beginning to get back to form, but his place in the starting XI still needs to be cemented with the likes of Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner still lurking around.

Part of the reason for this wavering spot in the starting team is the fact that Pulisic is often played out of position. He fills his designated roles admirably, but his engagements in the opposition’s final third are lethal more often than not, leaving fans to cry out for him to be started on the left wing.

During the January international break, Pulisic said that his spot in the Chelsea team is . . .

"“. . . not exactly where I want to be and how I want things to be right now, I’m just going to keep going.”"

This showed some real positivity from the young lad, who also kept to his word as he has risen to the occasion lately during crucial moments to ensure Chelsea is still on track to achieve its goals. Pulisic’s return to action against Brentford is still in doubt as Thomas Tuchel might want him rested for the Champions League tie against Real Madrid. Until then, supporters can only hope Pulisic will keep on firing on this blistering run of form.

Do you believe Pulisic deserves a starting spot in the Premier League match against Brentford on Saturday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!