Chelsea have had an underwhelming start under new manager Frank Lampard this season. The ongoing transfer ban has had a significant impact on the Blues’ overall performances, with most of the current batch of players struggling to maintain consistency.
One such player has been new signing Christian Pulisic. The winger, who returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer, after initially signing a permanent contract in January from Borussia Dortmund, is being frozen out of the starting lineup by Lampard.
Pulisic’s early-season struggles at Chelsea
Pulisic made his Premier League debut against Manchester United, coming on as a substitute in the last 32 minutes. He showed signs of his brilliance, at times, which was followed by an impressive performance against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.
However, ineffective attacking displays against Leicester City and Sheffield United last month made it clear that Pulisic isn’t ready to integrate into English football just yet. The American international often lacked inspiration and was barely involved in Chelsea’s attacking game.
As a result, the winger was rightfully benched against Wolverhampton Wanderers as Chelsea won 5-2. But, it was surprising to see him settle for the bench yet again, especially against Valencia and later, Liverpool. Chelsea lost both the matches.
The emergence of Mason Mount
The main reason behind Pulisic’s lack of game-time has been the emergence of Mason Mount. The youngster has managed to impress the onlookers with his blistering performances in these early parts of the campaign. And Lampard, who likes his team to operate from the middle, has often opted for him ahead of wide-man Pulisic.
Willian, too, featured against both Valencia and Liverpool. But, the Brazilian hasn’t quite been able to make a telling impact, which may lead one to believe that Pulisic is not exactly highly rated by Lampard.
In the meantime, however, Pulisic’s currently struggles at Chelsea is only due to his own futility. And he’ll remain a benchwarmer if he fails to make full use of his opportunities.
What does the future hold for Pulisic?
At the age of 21, Pulisic is young and has time on his side. Therefore, he should wait for his opportunity, as Lampard recently suggested. The US international still has the quality to help Chelsea become a more potent attacking side, although he could have at least featured against Valencia.
But, even if the ex-Dortmund star continues to get overlooked, Chelsea’s terrible form under Lampard will likely result in the manager’s untimely sacking. The youngster may likely succeed under the tutelage of a more experienced and tactically astute manager.
