Christian Pulisic has been in midseason form this preseason for Chelsea FC. And that’s perfect for him, his side and their fan base because the season starts a week from Sunday at Manchester United.
Pulisic had a long tour of international duty with the United States, leading them to the Gold Cup Final. He also joined up with Chelsea just a few days thereafter, not getting a holiday in after the tournament. It hasn’t been a problem for the 20-year-old winger, as he’s truly showcased some memorable moments of pure brilliance on multiple occasions in various friendlies this preseason.
And tonight he scored his first goal (of many to come) in a Chelsea shirt against RB Salzburg. He wasn’t done; as he added another scoring strike to bag a brace in the 5-3 win. One can easily see why so many were so high on the potential of Pulisic this offseason, and why they believed the move from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea is going to be great for the young American.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has praised Pulisic this preseason extensively, but tonight he took it up a notch.
He is a big signing for us with big potential but the big question is he has to adapt to a different league,” the new boss said, “but I have seen already a really good attitude and a willingness to listen to information.”
Christian Pulisic has just scored his first goal in a Chelsea shirt. May it be first of many ??? https://t.co/GersL4Sfh0
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) July 31, 2019
“He is 20 years of age so we have to remember he is young. I am happy to work with him, I want him to improve him.”
Lampard also articulated what exactly he liked the most in the effort from Pulisic tonight.
“He showed his quality and I love the nature of his goals where he has an intention to run behind the line and not come short, and the finishing was good,” said the man who became the club’s all-time leading scorer during playing days.
“It is what he is going to have to do because he is going to play in the Premier League and the Champions League, this is the top end. A winger has to have the desire not just to be tidy but to be getting in behind people and then with his quality he can be a really big player for us.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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