Sunday, November 18, 2018

Selling Willian and Morata out - The three ways Chelsea could line up with Christian Pulisic


It has been a busy week for Chelsea in the news with the Blues reportedly on the verge of facing a two-year transfer ban following a FIFA investigation into their signing of foreign U18 players.

If the Blues do have a ban imposed on them in the future then it could make January an important month to make some signings and Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic appears to be right at the top of that list.

The Blues are not lacking in quality in their wing department. Eden Hazard leads the way, while Willian, Pedro and Callum Hudson-Odoi have the ability to really cause a lot of trouble for defenders.

So what are three options that Maurizio Sarri could use Pulisic should he make the move to Stamford Bridge?

Pulisic on the right


The first role for Pulisic and the most likely scenario for the American at the Blues would be to see him play on the right, the way that he has played for Dortmund.

Eden Hazard is obviously the number one man on the left, as he has been throughout his Chelsea career, and the position on the right wing has always had a slight question mark over it, with either Willian or Pedro taking the role.

However, signing Pulisic would surely mean that one of the two wingers would find their way out of the door, if not both being sold to make way for the 20-year-old.

But would Pulisic be an upgrade right now? Willian has two goals and two assists in the league, with Pedro netting four times and grabbing one assist. Meanwhile, Pulisic has one goal and two assists in th Bundesliga.

However, his age is certainly a factor and he really has the capacity to add more to his game, which is something Sarri could bring out of him.

Pulisic on the left


The only way that Pulisic is going to be playing on the left is either Hazard is injured, rested or, even worse, has finally been sold to Real Madrid.

That would give the American the chance to play off the left, which would bring a lot of pressure on his shoulders as a lot of Chelsea's attacking play is dictated down the left.

With Marcos Alonso using his attacking ability, while either the left midfielder of Ross Barkley or Mateo Kovacic are the more attacking option than N'Golo Kante on the other side.

Pulisic's main position as been on the right, so the left might be a little bit alien to him at first. However, for a player with his ability, playing on the left could actually open up more of his game.

Pulisic through the middle


Something that Maurizio Sarri had a lot of joy with at Napoli was the front three combination of Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon, neither of them being out and out strikers.

The interchanging of the three would make it difficult for the defence to keep tracks on them, while playing at pace and ability to high press made it the perfect way of implementing Sarri's style.

It's not something we have seen yet at Chelsea, with Pedro, Willian and Hazard not getting the chance to play together quite yet, while Morata and Olivier Giroud still getting the nod.

But it is still an option up Sarri's sleeve and Pulisic could be an interesting player to have in that line up with the pace and ability to move and connect with the rest of the forward line.
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