"I honestly was dumbfounded and very disappointed" - Chelsea star says he was 'wound up' after Thomas Tuchel misled him ahead of UEFA Champions League semi-final
Christian Pulisic claims that he was misled by Thomas Tuchel before Chelsea's 2021 Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
Pulisic scored a spectacular solo effort in his side's first-leg tie against Los Blancos at the Bernabeu. The Blues ended up drawing 1-1 before beating the Spanish giants 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the return leg.
Christian Pulisic did the opposite of what Thomas Tuchel wanted and ended up scoring the biggest club goal of his career. ⚽️ https://t.co/x4V4nhDeQV
Chelsea went on to claim their second Champions League triumph later that season, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the final. But Pulisic claims that he was furious with Tuchel as he was left out for the return leg against Madrid, despite being told that he would start the clash.
The 24-year-old wrote in his new book 'Pulisic: My Journey So Far' (as per GOAL):
"What happened before that game was hugely disappointing for me. l’d had a really good first leg performance and our following match was against Fulham in the league. Tuchel told me that he was resting me for the second leg and as a result I didn’t play a single minute in the Fulham game.
"Then on match day of the second semi, Tuchel tells me he’s changed his mind and he’s going with Kai (Havertz). I honestly was dumbfounded and very disappointed. I thought that I’d earned a start and, most importantly, he had assured me previously I was going to start. So by the time he brought me on with about 25 minutes left, I was just so wound up."
Pulisic has played 19 matches in the Champions League from the 2020-21 season. However, he started just two of those. In these games, he managed four goals and three assists.
Christian Pulisic on his goal vs Real Madrid (1st leg):
"As I take off on the run, I hear Tuchel yelling from the sideline, 'Christian, stay in the pocket, don’t make the run!' But I just had the feeling I’d find the space and get on the end of the pass, so I continued the run." https://t.co/7IMQjWddVN
USMNT coach believes Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea sacking could be a good thing for Christian Pulisic
Pulisic is in his fourth season at Chelsea but has failed to live up to the high expectations that he had generated before he joined from Borussia Dortmund.
The winger has scored 25 times in 123 appearances for the Blues across competitions but has started just one Premier League game this term. However, Greg Berhalter believes Tuchel's departure could give his USMNT star a chance to revive his Blues career, as he stated (as per The Mail):
"I’m not happy a guy lost his job. But if this means more opportunity for Christian, then it’s positive because he’s a guy that’s proven that he can perform at that level. We’ll just have to wait and see."
The USA begin their World Cup campaign against Wales (November 22) later this year, before they take on England (November 26), and Iran (November 30).
Christian Pulisic has been at Chelsea FOUR seasons.
In the league…
80 Games (4,910 mins)
51 Starts
19 Goals
8 Assists
61’ Mins Per Game.
Would you give him a new deal in the summer? https://t.co/dmTr48AdFj