Tuchel says he has found Christian Pulisic’s best position in his 3-4-3 Chelsea system

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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has explained his plans to get the best out of Christian Pulisic and his dribbling skills in his 3-4-3 system.

It is fair to say that Tuchel has had his experiments with Pulisic.

The 22-year-old has played on both sides of the attacking roles behind the striker in the front three and even as a hybrid winger/wing-back on the right side of the pitch.

However, Tuchel seems to have made up his mind about on how to use Pulisic and his ability to glide past defenders.

“I think the half positions in the front three could be a perfect fit for him,” Tuchel told NBC Sports about his plan for Pulisic.

“I want him to make a lot of dribbles and improve his body positioning; where to open up, where to receive the ball and not lose his speed.

“Because he can have these high-speed dribbling over and over again, and he can kill you with intensity.

“For him, and for everybody else, [we need] a little bit more composure in the final passes, last touches.

“So yeah, this is what we want from him, and he demands a lot of himself.

“Managing the expectation is also important for him, so he doesn’t put too much on his shoulder, but I’m happy with him.”

Chronicle view

Most Chelsea fans would arguably be happy with that, considering Pulisic did not look comfortable playing as an advanced right wing-back, as in the goalless draw with Leeds United last month.

Unlike, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has adapted well to the new position thanks to his crossing abilities, Pulisic prefers to tuck inside.

The two attacking roles seem to better suit his skill set, but there is also clearly more competition for those positions.

Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, even Timo Werner, and Kai Havertz — when they are not playing as a No.9 — are all competing for those two positions, and unfortunately, some of them would inevitably miss out.