_The German manager has enjoyed great success to date by rotating his squad regularly but his changes held the Blues back at Elland Road_
*Leeds United 0-0 Chelsea*
Christian Pulisic has been crying out for a Premier League start for Thomas Tuchel and eventually got one at Elland Road on Saturday.
The American would have been delighted to have seen his name on the team sheet for the game against Leeds United although he probably wasn’t too happy to see himself stationed at right wing-back.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pulisic didn’t look entirely comfortable in a more defensive position. He struggled, along with most of his team-mates, as an unimpressive Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw, with Kai Havertz misfiring in the false nine role.
Pulisic does have some experience playing at wing-back. He occasionally played there for Tuchel during their time together at Dortmund, and in the German’s first game in charge at Stamford Bridge, against Wolves.
However, this latest outing in relatively unfamiliar territory didn’t go well. In theory, Pulisic was deployed in a deeper role than usual but, in practice, he repeatedly found himself running beyond the forward line and into the box.
Consequently, at times at Elland Road, he found himself bearing the brunt of his manager’s fury on the sidelines as he failed to get to grips with what was being asked of him.
Pulisic’s struggles arguably played a part in a disjointed overall display from Chelsea, who proved unable to replicate the kind of control they have exerted over other opponents in recent weeks.
Indeed, it came as no surprise to see the Pulisic experiment brought to a premature end after 69 minutes, when Reece James, a player far more suited to the wing-back role, was brought on in the United States international’s place.
This will doubtless be viewed by some as Pulisic missing a rare chance to impress Tuchel. However, he could legitimately argue that learning a new position ‘on the job’ is never easy and that he will need more game time to both understand and carry out his duties.
Pulisic will, thus, be feeling frustrated right now. And the same goes for Havertz, who missed his side’s three biggest chances.
Despite keeping another clean sheet – that’s 10 in 12 games in all competitions since Tuchel took over – it wasn’t all plain sailing at the back either.
Avant Sports Desk