Christian Pulisic the 'perfect' fit for Frank Lampard's Chelsea philosophy

Pulisic has not featured as much as expected after his summer arrival, but had a big impact on Saturday
REUTERS
Joe Krishnan25 October 2019

Chelsea must be patient with Christian Pulisic and allow the American to settle in at the club, says USA coach Greg Berhalter.

The 21-year-old, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £58million deal from Borussia Dortmund, has struggled to nail down a regular spot under Frank Lampard, making just three starts.

Pulisic has shown glimpses of what he can do as an impact player, coming off the bench to set up winning goals against Newcastle and Ajax.

And Berhalter believes the winger is under pressure to deliver because he was the sole new signing at the club this summer.

“There’s a lot of pressure that he’s under. He’s at a big club," Berhalter told The Guardian after watching Pulisic in action in Amsterdam.

Action Images via Reuters

"What I really like about where he is right now is that there’s a lot of young players. There’s a manager who is a manager who is used to working with young players, has that philosophy who wants to build this club with this group of talent, and he fits perfectly into that mould.

“I think Frank Lampard has been trying to say: 'the outside stuff is not real, it’s really not' – when you analyse the transfer fee, when you analyse who he’s replacing, when you analyse he’s the only guy they bought.

“That’s not real. What’s real is this kid is in the Premier League, trying to make his name, trying to perform. That’s the only thing that counts."

There has been speculation over whether Pulisic will be loaned out in January - something Lampard flatly denied.

Reuters/Eddie Keogh

Berhalter highlighted the examples of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne to show why Chelsea must not give up on Pulisic and allow him time to adapt to life in the Premier League.

"Let’s not forget that he’s not the only player in the world who has had a challenge adapting at the beginning of a move," he added.

"Look at [Antoine] Griezmann in Barcelona, [Eden] Hazard in Real Madrid.

“These are top, top players. [Mohamed] Salah and [Kevin] De Bruyne at Chelsea, of course. The list goes on and on. Because he was the only transfer this year, a lot of attention is placed on him.”

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