The post Christian Pulisic – Putting USA on the map appeared first on The Xtra Time.
]]>Chelsea
Pulisic’s Chelsea career has been somewhat chaotic. From being a supposed commercial signing from the club to a saviour under Frank Lampard. What is certain is Pulisic’s talent and right to feel aggrieved by a lack of opportunity, which he deserves. It was surprising to see Christian Pulisic fall out of favour with Thomas Tuchel. The German played a key part in Pulisic’s development at Dortmund and to see the American limited to scarce opportunities at RWB was baffling. Many expected Tuchel to reignite Pulisic’s career following steady progress under Lampard but this couldn’t be much further from the truth.
Pulisic was integral in Lampard’s first season in which Chelsea secured top 4 thanks to his brilliance alongside Olivier Giroud. Given a run of consistent starts at his favoured LW, Pulisic thrived in big games against Manchester City and Liverpool. It’s a shame that he wasn’t afforded a greater role in Tuchel’s sides who often looked lacklustre going forward. Some will unfairly highlight Pulisic’s performances at RWB and judge him accordingly. What do you expect from someone who not only favours the left-hand side, but in a role which he is unfamiliar with? Crazy.
The critics will also mention his injury record which has no doubt hampered his progress at Chelsea but these issues seem to be behind him now. This has not led to a change in his fortunes. Graham Potter’s questionable start to life at Chelsea has also highlighted Pulisic’s quality, Often left on the bench, Pulisic has made big impacts off the bench and in his rare starts with goals and assists. I’m in no doubt that Pulisic is Chelsea’s best forward. Sterling has been underwhelming, Mount has been inconsistent albeit one of the better forwards, Havertz has shown glimpses but nothing substantial and Ziyech has hardly played. Pulisic has proved that he can be relied upon in key moments when entrusted with starts in his favoured position. One only has to look at his impact in Chelsea’s UCL winning run to see what he’s capable of. Phenomenon against Porto and breathtaking against Los Blancos. This is a real star.
Christian Pulisic is a star that Chelsea will regret under utilising. He’s quick, agile, reminiscent of Lampard with his late runs into the box and resembles Eden Hazard in the way he manipulates the ball. The qualities offered by Pulisic are not easy to find, his directness and eye for goal is something Chelsea have been lacking but only Frank Lampard made use of it. Pressure is already mounting on Potter and his misfiring forwards are a huge reason, It’s simple, start Pulisic.
USA
Pulisic has captivated a nation and allowed many to dream. The boy from Hershey, Pennsylvania has found himself playing in Europe’s elite, One huge step for USA. This has translated into a RO16 tie with the Netherlands, led by who? None other than Christian Pulisic. Hat-trick in qualifying followed by MOTM in the group’s v England with an assist and the goal to fire USA to the knockouts. Pulisic has led his nation admirably and given his team a chance to cause a major upset by beating the Netherlands. This is the same Pulisic who cannot get a start at Chelsea. Strange. The impressive USA side, who deserved more than a point against England, is youthful and exciting. Adams, Pulisic, Reyna, Mckennie these names are here to stay.
It’s early days in Pulisic’s promising career despite him being around for a while now. It’s time for him to kick on at club level. Time is ticking for Chelsea to realise the diamond they have in their hands or the American will make his mark elsewhere. As a Chelsea fan, I hope his mark is made in West London sooner rather than later.
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]]>England has a good squad on paper, perhaps one of the most formidable ones in the tournament, comprised of high-quality Premier League stars. Nevertheless, I expect numerous factors to dampen their prospects of succeeding in Qatar.
The last time England won a game of football was at the end of March in a 3-0 win over Ivory Coast. Since then, England has failed to beat Hungary twice, Germany twice and Italy twice. Most will say that the previous form is nothing to be concerned about heading into a tournament. This is usually true, but with England, the problem lies deeper. There’s no excuse for an England side filled with stars from supposedly the best league in the world to go 6 games without a win against 2 sides who haven’t even qualified for the World Cup. What’s more amusing is that England remains the 5th ranked side in the World. Strange. It’s true that they did well during the Euro’s and reaching a final is no mean feat. However, as the host nation, it is arguable that they should have gone on to win it and perhaps underachieved. Cast your minds back to the 2018 World Cup. Reaching a Semi-Final is again, a great achievement. Yet with the ‘easy’ fixtures they had compared to other nations, they should have done better. Ultimately, England’s form is worrying to say the least and I truly expect them to continue the dire run of form through this tournament.
This leads on to a more pressing matter. Gareth Southgate has been lauded far too easily during his tenure at the slightest hint of success. This is counterproductive. Southgate has stars at his disposal, yet one would think he’s managing a Sunday league side with the uncertainty and worry of England fans heading into this World Cup.
Southgate has yet to find the perfect system for this group of England players. Southgate has utilized a 3-4-3, 4-3-3, and 4-2-3-1 since the win against Ivory Coast in March. It is evident that he’s still unable to settle on a system and on the verge of a World Cup, that seems rather worrying. For a manager who was appointed in 2016, Southgate is still yet to instill an identity into the way they plays football. The focus on ensuring England is defensively compact, which worked wonders in England’s 4-0 defeat by Hungary, has limited the impact of England’s truly quality forwards. The side has an abundance of attacking talent that performs to a high level in the league but has nothing to show for it when the lions come calling.
England to go out in the group stages. The same issues have been facing will remain. I imagine their best chance of a result against Iran but will face issues against Wales and USA.
England 1-1 Iran
England 1-1 USA
England 0-1 Wales
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]]>What better way is there to spend your February than escaping the cold English weather to follow Chelsea in the Club World Cup in sunny Abu Dhabi? A very misunderstood tournament by many in Europe, yet revered on every other corner of the globe, it was interesting to see just how significant this cup was to the teams competing in it. A question mark still stood over how seriously Chelsea would take this, but if the strength of the travelling squad and sharp words from Thomas Tuchel in the media were anything to go by, they were there to win it from the start… because winning trophies? It’s a Chelsea thing.
The first test came in the semi-final against the 2021 AFC Champions League winners Al Hilal. A team with a very strong following in attendance, they were never going to make it easy. However, they were not the only team with a passionate following in Abu Dhabi. It was great to meet several fans from both the Dubai Blues group & the Kerala Blues who were in full voice before, throughout and after the game. A somewhat uneventful first half was livened up just as the clock passed 31 minutes as Romelu Lukaku was in the right place to slot home what came to be the match-winning goal. The next 60 minutes were nail-biting as Chelsea held on to reach the final of the Club World Cup for just the second time in the club’s history.
Being in Abu Dhabi for this tournament, and around fans from clubs from all over the world, I really came to understand that no country respects this tournament more than the Brazilians. Second, behind only the World Cup itself, this trophy would mean a lot to Palmeiras and their fans who were also looking to win it for the very first time in their history. The noise inside the stadium was electrifying throughout, with the Brazilians vastly outnumbering the travelling Chelsea fans who still could be heard loud and clear (we even had Belle Silva, Thiago Silva’s wife, a few rows behind us in the stands starting the “Ohhh Thiago Silva” chants during the game). A rumoured 15,000 Palmeiras fans made the 18+ hour trip from Sao Paulo to Abu Dhabi, washing over the city in their famous green kit. But through the sea of green, it was the blue wave that broke the tide, a decisive 116th-minute penalty by Kai Havertz handed Chelsea their first Club World Cup trophy, sending the Chelsea fans in the stands into absolute bedlam – an experience I will never forget.
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]]>Kepa has come a long way from that dismal year under Lampard, where he finished the season as second choice to Willy Caballero and underperformed in terms of saving shots on goal (he had a PSxG +/- of 9.5, meaning he conceded at least 9 goals more than expected). The performance at Villa Park was arguably his greatest in a Chelsea shirt, a triple save followed by a world-class stop from a Danny Ings header that had shades of Cech vs. Javier Hernandez in the 2013 FA cup quarter final.
He has really taken the opportunity to step up under the new manager, having come in due to Mendy’s injury, and looks keen to remain as first choice under Potter. He already looks far more commanding, sharper and more confident than in previous years, something he himself has said really helps in providing a platform for greater performances.
With 3 clean sheets in 3 Premier League games, coupled with preventing more goals than any other keeper (3.2, the next closest being Alisson with 2.7), he deserves to continue his fine form as Chelsea number 1. But as with Rudiger under Tuchel, it will likely take a few more months of world class performances to really win the backing of all Chelsea fans to remain first choice and wipe clean those memories of the 2019/20 season. It appears Edouard Mendy has a lot of work to do to wrestle back his position following some poor performances in 2022.
Now I could have written a few paragraphs about the ever-present Mason Mount, following an impressive display where he finally got off the mark in the Premier League. However, it is Ruben Loftus-Cheek who has impressed me the most the season. You would often see a level of doubt amongst the Chelsea fan base when Ruben lined up as a double 6 under Tuchel, due to him enjoying carrying the ball up the pitch and often being caught out of position defensively in transition. This season he appears to be every Chelsea fan’s first name down on the team sheet in midfield.
The 2018/19 season under Sarri is always brought up as a talking point when it comes to RLC. A dominant number 8, he excelled in his link up with Eden Hazard, contributing to 15 goals in 35 games across the Premier League & Europa League. But this year he is a different player, more disciplined in his defensive duties with less of an emphasis in his contribution in the final third. He is using his dominant frame to get in-between opposition players and the ball, winning duels with his strength and continuously playing Chelsea out of trouble with his nimble footwork by dribbling out of a press or winning cheap fouls.
If there is any Chelsea player that deserves an extended run in the first 11 it is Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He is the perfect example of a Cobham graduate who has continued to fight for a real role in this team, having been happy being a squad player under Tuchel, operating in 3-4 different positions just because he wanted to be on the pitch in a Chelsea shirt. He now appears to be a genuine number 6 option for Potter going forward and it will be interesting, with Southgate having watched on at Villa Park, whether he gets his deserved spot in that England squad for the 2022 World Cup.
With Trent Alexander Arnold’s poor form continuing and Joao Cancelo’s mistake against Liverpool highlighting a real weakness in his defensive reading of the game, it is with good reason that Chelsea fans consistently push Reece James as the best all round right back in the league. Brute strength, gifted athleticism, quality striker of the ball, impressive passer, defensively dominant and equally imposing going forward, his only weakness seems to be the big injuries he appears to pick up each season. Every Chelsea fan’s worst fears were confirmed last Friday when news broke that Reece James could be out for up to 8 weeks, missing what is a hectic schedule where Chelsea play 8 games in 24 days.
He was a big miss on Sunday, where Sterling was deployed in Potter’s inverse ‘Trossard role’ he enjoyed using as manager at Brighton & Hove Albion. This clearly did not work as Chelsea were overrun in the first half, Trevoh Chalobah dealing fairly well in his defensive duties to try and manage Ollie Watkins who was a handful in the first half. Ashley Young was able to enjoy some freedom of getting forward and attacking the less defensively astute Sterling, with Potter even changing mid-first half to get RLC in that RWB role to support defensively. Bringing on Azpilicueta helped numb the pain of no Reece James down the right slightly, however, this is going to be one area over the coming weeks that Potter will really need to find solutions for to manage in James’ absence. Let’s hope for a positive recovery period and no stupid decisions from the FA to try and rush him back into the England set up for the World Cup.
There is nothing more frustrating as a fan than watching your team’s initial game plan go wrong, but have your manager wait until either the 60th minute or until you concede to try change things about. Chelsea fans will shudder at the memories of the Barkley to Kovacic, Kovacic to Barkley substitutions on a weekly basis, a team struggling to breakdown deep blocks unless a piece of Eden Hazard brilliance saved the day and be grateful that Potter does not hang about when he sees his set up is not working.
In the first half against Villa, Potter moved Sterling from ‘RWB’ to RW, Mount back into CM and RLC out wide to deal with the threat Villa were posing down their left flank. He dropped the defensive line further back to counter the long balls into Ollie Watkins who was a handful for a large part of the game. He subbed the rash Cucurella for a more dominant penalty box defender in Koulibaly to deal with the number of crosses coming in and took off the invisible Kai Havertz for Azpilicueta to fill in as a more natural wing back.
Alongside Kepa’s brilliance and Mount’s well taken goals, Potter being proactive in making these tactical changes early were one of the reasons Chelsea walked away with three points on Sunday. We have seen a real positive impact from Potter so far in the way he sets up and manages games, which will be all the more important with matches coming thick and fast in the build-up to the World Cup. Not all games are going to be pretty wins like Wolves or the home game vs Milan and we should expect more testing fixtures in the weeks ahead, but it looks like Chelsea have got a manager who relishes the tactical challenge these games bring.
Chelsea’s next game is against Brentford away, a fixture that exactly a year to the day of Kepa’s heroics at Villa Park, saw Mendy singlehandedly secure an important 3 points for Chelsea with some outrageous saves to keep it 1-0. A tough place to visit, Chelsea will have their work cut out for them with the dynamic duo of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbuemo forming a deadly partnership so far this season.
When it comes to rotation, I think it is important that Chelsea factor in the physical aspect of this Brentford side. They are a team who tend to excel from set pieces, using their physicality to win aerial duels or latch on to second balls and make it a really tough game for any away side. With Thiago Silva unfortunately a doubt, and more likely to be rested for the big game against Manchester United next Saturday, Koulibaly will have an important role to play in trying to manage Ivan Toney. I have some slight reservations with playing Cucurella at LCB against this Brentford side following some wobbly defensive performances, but he is talented enough to not let those affect his overall ability and I would expect him to step up a notch if he gets the nod again.
In attack, I think it is finally time for Armando Broja to get his first start in a Chelsea shirt. Of our number 9 options, he offers the most in intensity, physicality and his height could be useful in defending set pieces. Havertz may start again due to the same reasons, however, he will have to offer a lot more than the rare flashes of brilliance if he wants to remain a starter in this Chelsea side. Looking ahead, the calmness, physicality, and defensive know-how of the missing defensive trio of Thiago Silva, Reece James and Wesley Fofana are a huge blow for a Chelsea side sneakily gaining momentum in the Premier League.
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]]>The post Olivier Giroud: Going down in History appeared first on The Xtra Time.
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Where better to start than Olivier Giroud’s breakout onto the professional scene, Montpellier. Almost immediately, Olivier Giroud’s importance on the football pitch was evident. Montpellier reached their first major final since 1993-94 thanks to his extra-time winning goal against PSG. Despite not winning the final, it was just the beginning of a special couple of years for Giroud at Montpellier. Olivier Giroud finished as the club’s top scorer in his first season with 14 goals and contributed 5 assists. As will be reinforced time and time again, it was not just his goalscoring exploits which impressed, but his ability to be the focal point, linking up with other forwards due to his selfless play. The following season, Olivier Giroud fired Montpellier to their first ever league title, amassing 21 goals and 9 assists in a stellar campaign which saw him named as the Ligue 1 leading goal scorer. The inability of teams to stop Giroud speaks volumes about his mental strength and a mantra the Frenchmen lives by, always believe. Every team tried and failed to stop Giroud.
Inevitably, Olivier Giroud earned his move to Arsenal. The attraction of Premier League football was no doubt a huge factor in his move to London. For someone that blossomed late in football terms, playing Premier League football was a huge achievement. As he did at Montpellier, Giroud did what he does best and scored goals at Arsenal. With 17 goals and 11 assists in his first season, it was a promising start to life in North London. Fast forward to 2018 and Giroud had amassed an outstanding 105 goals and 47 assists for Arsenal to supplement the three FA Cup’s and three community shields won with the gunners. Perhaps the highlight being his infamous scorpion kick which resulted in a Puskas award. It is yet another quality of his game which sets him apart from other strikers, the ability to score the most aesthetically pleasing goals of impeccably high difficulty. Whether it was his brace in the FA Cup quarter final against Middlesborough or a thunderous long-range strike in the Community Shield victory against Man City, Giroud continued to excel in knock out games and contributed heavily to trophies won in his time at Arsenal.
Moving to Chelsea as a former Arsenal striker is no easy task. Winning the support of Chelsea fans as a striker is a hard task as it is. However, Giroud became a fan favorite at the West London club, a quite special achievement. The 119 appearances, 39 goals and 14 assists Giroud provided at Chelsea were of incredible importance. In his first season, Giroud scored a sublime solo goal to fire Chelsea to an FA cup final which they went on to win. In the following season, he finished as the Europa League top scorer with 11 goals and made 5 assists as he carried Chelsea to a European trophy. The season after, Giroud was the reason Chelsea secured a top 4 spot post lockdown with consistent goals in big moments despite being frozen out for the start of the season. In his final season at Chelsea, Giroud was yet again the man for the big occasion as he scored four goals in a UCL game to send Chelsea top of their UCL group before scoring a jaw dropping bicycle kick in the UCL QF’s to defeat Atletico and kick start Chelsea’s UCL dream. Chelsea went on to win the UCL with Giroud finishing as the clubs top scorer in the competition. It is no surprise that Giroud left Chelsea with status as a cult hero, a model professional who never complained when out of favour and worked hard to earn his spot back, delivering special moments for the club consistently.
The move to Milan came at the perfect time for Giroud, in need of regular game time. Start to life at Milan could not have gone better, the striker has become a fan favorite after his stellar first season at the club. Giroud racked up 14 goals in his first season, with every goal being of huge importance and thus his tag of being a big game player intensified. Whether it was the brace to defeat Inter, the reactive finish to down Napoli or the brace to crown Milan as champions against Sassuolo, Giroud turned up in the biggest of moments. This season has been equally as productive for the Frenchman who has already scored and assisted in the Derby Madolina, scored against Napoli and fired Milan to the UCL knockout stages with 2 goals and 2 assists in the deciding group game,. At the age of 36, Giroud is getting better with age and his ever presence is a huge bonus to a side that are aiming to defend their title. Yet again, Giroud will be a crucial part of his team’s chances and the odds are he will not let them down.
Giroud’s club career has been impressive, but his international career deserves just as much credit. At the time of writing, with 51 goals, Giroud has equaled Thierry Henry’s record as France all-time leading scorer. If that alone is not impressive enough, Giroud is a World Cup winner.
Aside from his goal-scoring exploits and trophies won, Olivier Giroud has made a name for himself as a top professional. In the face of adversity, whether it’s unfairly being dropped or responding to media criticism, Giroud responds on the football pitch. Managers have spoken highly of him and almost all that have managed him speak of his mentality and value to the squad. This stems from his work ethic and humbleness which is evidently due to his faith. Arsene Wenger recently stated that we should kneel before Giroud’s career, and nothing was given to him. This is what makes Giroud special, he is reaping the rewards of his own hard work.
This piece’s purpose is to shed light on a truly remarkable career that is not finished yet. Whether it’s on the club or international scene, Giroud has been crucial to his team’s success not just through big goals but also his all-round selfless play which corresponds which his selfless personality and deep-rooted faith. There is no doubt when Giroud retires, the beautiful game will remember him fondly.
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