Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has praised Christian Pulisic after the American inspired Blues’ comeback against Aston Villa.
Lampard made some decisions that raised some eyebrows even before the start of the game on Sunday.
He started Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on the flanks, keeping Pulisic among the substitutes.
It was Loftus-Cheek’s first competitive game after a year-long Achilles injury, and it’s fair to say he needed more time to regain his match sharpness.
The Blues dominated the possession of the ball throughout the match but lacked the movements inside the box in the first half.
And Pulisic’s introduction ten minutes after the break brought exactly that as Chelsea turned the tide with a goal apiece from the former Dortmund man and Olivier Giroud to grab the three points.
Speaking to the media, Lampard said Pulisic “was very hungry” and applaud the winger’s instincts to arrive in the box.
“The difference between being a very good attacking player off the side or the players at the real top level of the game who arrive and score in the six-yard box and hit big numbers yearly — I really think Christian can do that,” Lampard added.
The manager also hinted at more starts for Pulisic as he praised the 21-year-old’s impact.
He said: “He will start games for us of course and I think he’s going to be a big player for us, not just in this run in, but obviously going forward.”