Kartik Krishnaiyer
Christian Pulisic has a chance to make history.
He can become the first US Men’s National Team regular to play a significant role for a UEFA Champions League winner. Pulisic’s recent renaissance has come at an opportune time for Chelsea and for the USMNT with CONCACAF Nations League, Gold Cup and World Cup Qualifying congesting the calendar beginning in June.
I must say though I wasn’t wild about Pulisic’s complaints regarding his Manager Thomas Tuchel not starting him.In the interest of full disclosure, I consider myself a Tuchelista, falling in love with his tactical acumen when managing Mainz. His hiring by Borusisa Dortmund turned me into an obsessed BVB watcher, hence my discovery of Pulisic before most Americans had heard of him (Pulisic’s first match on the BVB bench in early 2016, I tweeted about pre match with little fanfare for instance but that’s how closely I followed Tuchel’s teams). I will admit I did not follow him as closely at PSG, but since he arrived at Chelsea, I have watched every minute of every match he has managed at the club.
A few things here.
1- Clint Dempsey came off the bench through much of Fulham 2009-10 Europa League run which culminated in making the final. Dempsey regularly lifted Fulham with his performances off the bench. At the time, many were frustrated Dempsey was not starting for Fulham, but Deuce sucked it up, scored critical goals coming off the bench and for the following two seasons was an automatic starter for the club. A fiery competitor and a nightmare in training, Dempsey nevertheless managed to restrain himself from complaining about Roy Hodgson’s selections publicly in the media. And hey, whatever he felt about his role, we’ll always have this:
2- As noted above on Dempsey and with countless other examples, such as Jesus Navas in the 2010 FIFA World Cup for Spain, being a change-of-pace attacking sub for an elite club or national team seeking high honors is far from the worst thing. The reality is Pulisic has durability issues and it is likely Tuchel, being aware of this and also knowing that second legs or Finals may go 120 minutes is keeping the American talisman in reserve. The fact Pulisic has remained Tuchel’s first option off the bench in big games also speaks to the great trust and respect Tuchel has for the young American. There are worse problems to have.
3- Finally, Mason Mount is, in the opinion of this writer, a top 20 player globally. Pulisic doesn’t play the same sort of game as Mount does – in fact Pulisic is a complimentary piece to Mount, who is in any big match an automatic starter for Chelsea and a one-of-a-kind player that cannot be replaced by anyone else on the roster (this is why I find it so odd to see various writers and analysts suggest these two players were competing for the same spot during the last two seasons. Mount and Pulisic are very different playersm and it is more accurate to suggest Pulisic is competing for one of two other attacking spots in Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1 with three other players: Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyich. Pulisic is the most dangerous of that group, but given his pace and durability questions, Tuchel prefers him on the bench.
Pulisic is the perfect pair with Mason Mount, who has become one of the best players in the world under Thomas Tuchel.
Let’s break that down more closely, shall we?
When comparing Pulisic to Ziyech he is a superior player though Ziyech is more versatile and is a better defender. When comparing Pulisic to Wener, Pulisic is the better dribbler and finisher but doesn’t quite have the industry off the ball that Werner displays. The comparison to Havertz is tougher, as both are similar but in the end analytics like chance creation show that Pulisic is a more threatening player on the ball and creating in space, even as Havertz is more comfortable with his back to goal.
Finally, more than the other three, Pulisic specifically benefits from Mount’s presence in the team.
Pairing Pulisic with either Havertz or Werner in a two man attacking pivot in the 3-4-2-1 won’t work – for Pulisic, either of the Germans or Chelsea. It can be argued Pulisic compliments Mount’s game more than the other three options and while one of them can be played up top as a nine, Pulisic might be the best fit flanking Mount, who as mentioned above, undroppable at this point.
So with all this in mind, I firmly believe Tuchel’s decisions are largely based specifically on the opposition. Hopefully, for both himself and American soccer, Pulisic continues to excel when he’s called on and will be rewarded as a Champions League winner in Porto later this month.
Kartik Krishnaiyer is an Editor of the Yanks are Coming. He is also a longtime American soccer journalist, author and front office executive. Follow him on Twitter @kkfla737.