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The beginning of the season oversaw Christian Pulisic struggle to get into the Chelsea starting XI, with new manager Frank Lampard opting for varying options in wide areas in back three and back four systems.
Pulisic made his first start against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup final yet afterwards was for a time in and out of the side, perhaps whilst Lampard tried to figure out the best XI and system.
But after impressing as a substitute in a 0-1 win against Ajax in the Champions League, Pulisic was thrown into the starting XI in the following league game against Burnley. Positioned on the left-side of a 4-2-3-1, Pulisic scored three of Chelsea’s four goals in a 2-4 win.
Pulisic continued this newly found momentum with another goal in Chelsea’s next game against Watford. Ever since, it’s been expected that Pulisic is one of the first names on the team sheet, with the Blues’ last two games – against Ajax and Crystal Palace also displaying the qualities Pulisic offers to this Chelsea side.
v Ajax
Chelsea’s 4-4 draw with Ajax was an enthralling watch from start to finish. A 4-3-3 against a 4-2-3-1, with players in both set-ups looking to combine in the spaces between midfield and defence, being a threat in transitions and with wide players making runs in behind the defences. Set-pieces and Hakim Ziyech made the difference for Ajax in the first-half, although Chelsea were by no means out of the match.
Yet, Chelsea were eventually 1-4 down as Ajax continued in the same vain, pressing tirelessly. That was until two red cards for both of Ajax’s centre-backs – Daley Blind and Joel Veltman in quick succession turned the game on its head and inspired a comeback from the home side in utterly ridiculous circumstances.
And Pulisic was a lively threat throughout, even when Chelsea were losing by a hefty deficit. Pulisic may have started on but was not resigned to the left-wing. Pulisic moved into spaces between midfield and defence when cutting inside, combined with teammates and tried to get on end of passes down the channels.
Mason Mount who was positioned on the left-side of a midfield three rather than as a no.10 as seen in the Premier League often combined with Pulisic in tight spaces in and around the box, and one instance oversaw Mount passing to Pulisic who then dribbled into the box and subsequently brought down, earning Chelsea a penalty which Jorginho converted to make the score 1-1.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen Pulisic did attacking 1v1 against the full-back on the outside, Pulisic did cause problems, forcing corners when crosses were blocked. Until Cesar Azpilicueta moved from right-back to left-back in the second-half, this was the biggest threat directly against Ajax’s right-side. Ajax’s centre-backs also faced Pulisic when cutting inside in attempt to get closer to centre-forward Tammy Abraham.
The introduction of Reece James for Marcos Alonso – moving Azpilicueta from right to left, added a necessary sense of directness from the right flank, and a ball switched from left to right across the box by Pulisic was a bit stretched but found its way to the overlapping James, who during the second-half had a lot of space down the right and quickly crossed the ball back into box.
Chelsea had much more fortune down the sides in the second-half. Pulisic got in positions to cross more often, and one cross was flicked by Abraham into the path of Azpilicueta who made a run from full-back into the box to head in Chelsea’s second goal, which really gave Lampard’s side a boost in the most crucial of moments just before the two dismissals.
Chelsea may have had luck on their side in this encounter, with the red cards really changing the game and Ajax’s right-side causing havoc; Pulisic had trouble tracking back in transitions particularly as Alonso struggled both 1v1 against a winger and going forward, but it was a valiant second-half performance from Lampard’s side with a stellar opportunity taken advantage of.
v Crystal Palace
Against a side that prides itself on organisation and being hard to break down under Roy Hodgson, Chelsea reverted back to their expected 4-2-3-1 shape. Chelsea looked to attack through the centre with passes between the lines to and from Mount who was back in the position in behind the no.9. But Palace wouldn’t budge, maintaining good distances between defenders for example in their 4-5-1 shape.
Eventually, however, Chelsea’s relentless attacking paid off, with a advancing run from Kovacic who slid the ball to Willian on the edge of the box whose deft touch found Abraham who slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Pulisic then finished off a side offering very little attacking threat of their own to give Chelsea a well-deserved 2-0 win.
Pulisic was a threat as the winger drifted into space between the right-back and centre-back and when in tight spaces in the box, was hard to retrieve the ball from due to good dribbling and close control. But Palace covered more of their box with defending numbers and therefore Chelsea attackers for much of the first-half found it difficult to find ways to combine in these areas.
In contrast with the Ajax game, the full-backs were able to get forward more so because they were not being pressed as high up the pitch by the Palace wingers and there was less issues when leaving space in behind as most of Palace’s players were defending in their own half.
James who came on as a substitute in the Champions League started over Azpilicueta in this match and was always a threat on the right, maintaining the width as right-winger Willian tucked inside and exchanged positions with Mount and Pulisic. Emerson who started ahead of Alonso was much the same on the left.
It was less cagey in midfield than against Ajax but there was less space to make runs in behind and Palace covered their box well. In an attacking sense this suggested Palace wanted to get at Chelsea on the counter. But, Palace’s positioning without the ball meant that Chelsea had more space in front of them when building-up from the back and this benefited Chelsea as they were able to progress the ball into advanced areas quickly.
Palace’s low-block did at times force Chelsea to play the ball wide, with Pulisic going 1v1 with Ward and forcing Andros Townsend to track back and support the full-back. The passes over top of the defence were lacking from Chelsea and they were arguably missing Jorginho in midfield during the first-half.
A big chance on the stroke of half time over good play through the centre, with Mount dragging the ball into the box and playing the ball into space to James on the overlap whose low cross into the box was saved before a shot from Abraham was blocked.
A game of attack v defence to put it simply was eventually won by the attack. It’s superior quality in front of goal got what they were looking for in the second-half and Pulisic contributed the goods. Once again Pulisic cut inside, skipping past a number of defenders before a shot from outside box forced a save resulting in a corner.
Pulisic’s dribbling (Pulisic has averaged 2.1 dribbles per game this season*) from the flank into central positions is very effective as well as good to watch. It helps create space for the wide man to get on his stronger foot, helps support Chelsea’s intent to combine in central areas whilst giving the full-back space to overlap and forces defenders out of position when having to track movements. Another account of cutting inside from the left oversaw Pulisic pass to substitute Michy Batshuayi who had his shot blocked before Pulisic headed in the rebound. Chelsea’s narrow attacks paid off.
This win sees Chelsea comfortably in the top four places for the time being with 26 points, and again for the time being exceeding the expectations of some. And Pulisic has finally found his way into the starting XI following the mega £58m move from Borussia Dortmund in the midst of Lampard having seemingly settled on his best XI and system.
*stat via sofascore
The Conventional Playmaker 