Chelsea are using “fighter” Christian Pulisic wrong, says DaMarcus Beasley, with the USMNT showing how to bring the best out of him.
American has been with Blues since 2019Has rarely been a guaranteed starterRemains a talismanic presence for his country
WHAT HAPPENED? The United States international has been at Stamford Bridge since 2019, taking in 133 appearances and making history as the first man from his country to grace a Champions League final. Questions have, however, been asked of the best role for him throughout a spell in England, with only three Premier League starts taken in during the current campaign.
WHAT THEY SAID: While struggling to prove a point at club level, Pulisic continues to thrive for his country – earning the nickname ‘Captain America’ – and Beasley believes there are lessons to be learned by those in west London. The former USMNT star has told talkSPORT: “What do we like to see? We like to see Christian driving with the ball which he can’t do at Chelsea because he’s playing right wing-back most of the time, so give him the ball in the right spots! He’s playing different positions but now he’s in a spot where he can make a difference and for us it’s a big bonus.
“He’s a fighter. You saw he basically got beaten up against Wales but he’ll keep going and going and going. Maybe he needs to play that way with Chelsea because you see him week in, week out, but with the USA he gets battered but gets up. I’ll give you that, when you’re playing at Chelsea and challenging for the top positions you have to have the end product.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pulisic has only managed 26 goals for Chelsea, with the target found just once in the 2022-23 season, while more is also expected of him on the assist front.
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WHAT NEXT? There has been speculation to suggest that Pulisic could be prised away from Chelsea if a suitable offer was tabled, but for now he is fully focused on international matters and a meeting with England in Qatar on Friday.
