The former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss is said to have told Pulisic he would be rested for a game at Fulham ahead of the second leg of their semi-final against Real Madrid, only for him to “change his mind” and pick Kai Havertz in the European conflict. The American had scored in the first leg of the tie in Madrid but had to endure a substitute appearance in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, which he admits left him feeling angry with his former manager. Christian Pulisic celebrates with Chelsea bench after semi-final goal against Real Madrid “What happened before that game was extremely disappointing for me,” Pulisic said in his upcoming autograph “Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far,” available for purchase on Oct. 18. “I had a really good performance in the first game and our next game was against Fulham in the league. “Tuchel told me he was resting me for the second game and as a result I didn’t play a single minute in the Fulham game. “Then, on the day of the second half match, Tuchel tells me he has changed his mind and is going with Kai. [Havertz]. I was honestly stunned and very disappointed. The USMNT star had a tough time at Chelsea and was denied a loan move in the window “I thought I had won the start and, more importantly, he had previously assured me that I would start. “So when he brought me on with about 25 minutes left, I was so tired.” Chelsea won the second leg 2-0 to progress to the final 3-1 on aggregate, where a Kai Havertz goal sealed Champions League glory against Manchester City.
Pulisic insists the decisive first-leg goal would not have been possible if he had acceded to Tuchel’s instructions in Madrid. Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was relieved of his duties following the defeat by Dinamo Zagreb. “The untold story behind this goal is that when [Antonio] Rudiger has the ball, I can see he wants to play it way over the top and I started my run to get in behind the Madrid back line,” he revealed. But as I take off running, I hear Thomas Tuchel shouting from the sidelines, “Cristian, stay in the pocket, don’t make the run!” But I just had a feeling that I was going to find the space and get on the end of the pass, so I just kept running. “I cut in front and behind Nacho [Raphaël] Varan. When I got the ball I thought I should shoot straight away, but then I realized I had a lot more time than I thought I would because Nacho had run to cover the goal line and Varane was more worried about marking. arrival in his box [Timo] Werner. England international Mason Mount celebrates with Pulisic in 2020/21 semi-final first leg “So I thought I would create a better angle for myself by rounding Courtois and then I could pick my position.” Despite winning the second most recent Champions League, Tuchel was sacked on 7 September after defeat by Dinamo Zagreb.
Tuchel’s disconnection from his Chelsea players reached such an extent that some of them wanted to avoid playing on the same side of the pitch as his players. Sportsmail revealed earlier this month, a number of Chelsea players did not like playing on their former manager’s side of the pitch. Pulisic has been backed to make an impact again at Chelsea by USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter The players were sick of Tuchel’s “constant barking and whining” – and took exception to how he moaned every time they missed a tackle, cross, chance or didn’t cover quickly enough. Meanwhile, Pulisic hasn’t fared much better in his bid for game time since the German’s withdrawal, playing just six minutes in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with RB Salzburg last week. However, he was given the chance to stretch his legs last Saturday in a behind closed doors friendly with Brighton.
USMNT coach Gregg Burhalter sees an opening for Pulisic with Graham Potter now in charge at Chelsea ahead of November’s World Cup. The American is looking for consistent game time ahead of November’s World Cup in Qatar “I’m not happy that a man lost his job. But if that means more opportunities for Christian, then that’s a positive because he’s a guy that’s proven to be able to perform at this level,” Berhalter told The Associated Press. “We’ll just have to wait and see.” Even if Potter opts for alternative attacks instead of Pulisic, he is highly unlikely to threaten his participation in this year’s tournament. “I’m sure there’s not going to be anything drastic, but some guys might show up,” Berhalter said of the team planning to go to Qatar. Pulisic’s next official chance on the pitch is on October 1 when Chelsea make the short trip to play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. ‘Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far’ can be pre-ordered here.