Christian Pulisic is one of several puzzles that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is trying to solve.
For Pulisic, he’ll know he’s playing nowhere near his best.
The American forward has three goals and three assists in 19 club appearances so far this season, which is frankly underwhelming for someone with his individual quality.
He’s shown in the past his electric speed and direct dribbling, but he looks a little flat. In fact, pundit Taylor Twellman recently said he thinks the £150,000-a-week player may have lost a yard of pace.
Blues boss Tuchel should be able to get a tune out of him moving forward if he replicates his recent Hakim Ziyech trick, though.
Chelsea need to use Pulisic at LW
Ziyech’s mini rise lately has been down to the fact he’s getting chances in his preferred role.
The Chelsea boss has been experimental with his formations in recent games, which has seen 28-year-old Ziyech get to play in a right-winger role he was previously so successful in at Ajax. He’s scored in back-to-back Premier League games to show signs of how important he can be at Stamford Bridge.
If the Blues want the same improvement from Pulisic, they need to copy that formula.
USA international Pulisic, 23, is so effective when playing as a left-winger.
Unfortunately, he’s had very few chances in that role this season. He’s been a victim of his own versatility at times by playing as a central forward and wing-back.
However, he’s an old fashioned winger that is at his best cutting infield from the left touchline.
The best spell of his Chelsea career to date was when he was flying high as a left-winger at the back end of the 2019/20 season under then-manager Frank Lampard.
It make sense for Tuchel to give him a run of starts out wide on the left if he’s going to be using either a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 system.
The likes of Ziyech and Pulisic are asked to do slightly different roles when playing in attack within the 3-4-3 formation, but playing four at the back should allow both to have huge impacts in the same XI on opposite flanks.
There is definitely a magical player in Pulisic that Tuchel is still trying to unlock.
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