Graham Potter is already a fan of the Chelsea team.
Ahead of the World Cup, Christian Pulisic, a winger for Chelsea, has been cautioned that his persistent lack of playing time at Stamford Bridge is a “concern.” The 24-year-old, who has excelled at the international level and will captain the US team in Qatar, has failed to get regular starts for the Blues, and those issues have persisted under new manager Graham Potter.
After scoring in the 3-0 win over Wolves in his first Premier League start under the former Brighton man, he was named on the bench for wins over AC Milan and Aston Villa and was not brought on in either game. Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley believes Pulisic should start looking at himself as another coach prefers other options in the squad.
“I think his game-time continues to be a problem,” Burley told ESPN. “I think the more managers that go in and don’t play him, people have to realise that you have got to look at the player and not keep looking at five or six coaches now, who have pretty much dealt with him in the same way.
“Frank Lampard, Potter, Lucien Favre, Thomas Tuchel, all these guys have managed him recently. The current incumbent is Graham Potter, do you think even if Christian Pulisic plays well, that he sits down and picks his team for the next game and thinks ‘I am going to pick a team and leave him out because that’s going to make us worse’?
“Or do you think he picks a team he thinks is going to make them better? It hasn’t happened with him under Lampard, it didn’t happen under Tuchel, it didn’t happen under Lucien Favre at Borussia Dortmund, am I not making it clear?
“Several managers now have used the player in the same manner, what is that telling you? That they think in their team, they have better options. There were people piping on about how he should have been in the team before Mason Mount. Mason Mount up until the last few weeks hasn’t had the best of seasons, but he is a better player. He’s a better player than Pulisic, he’s a different player.”
There were reports linking Pulisic with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer, including a surprising swap deal to Manchester United that would have seen the Red Devils’ captain Harry Maguire move in the opposite direction, but the American forward opted to stay at Chelsea.
He has participated in all but one Premier League game this season, however he has typically started off the bench and hasn’t yet made a start in the Champions League.
His Stamford Bridge contract expires in 2024, and in the past, he has been linked to a transfer to Newcastle in an effort to increase his playing time.
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