Chelsea

Christian Pulisic Is Somewhat of a Faster Version of Clint Dempsey

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Clint Dempsey was a special American player because of his skill with the ball, which was way beyond any other American player minus Freddy Adu, who for all his problems, was exceptional with the ball at his feet. Christian Pulisic appears to have Dempsey’s technical ability with the ball, although it remains to be seen just how his shooting and ball striking compare.

Christian Pulisic’s Speed Gives Him an X-Factor That Clint Dempsey Didn’t Have

Without a doubt his passing is as good or better than Dempsey’s. Pulisic’s speed and quickness allows him to shake defenders and/or glide past them even if they are particularly fast. Dempsey didn’t have this asset to use, even though he was by no means slow. Pulisic, on the other hand, is truly fast, and his electric speed makes him more dangerous against top competition than Dempsey was.

Dempsey had many qualities, and in many ways, he was underrated to the extent that people looking to mock American soccer players liked to downplay and openly scoff at his ability. Of course, there was no justification for this, but nevertheless, the speed that Pulisic has allows him to beat defenders and get into the area with greater ease than Dempsey. One has to think that Dempsey can’t watch Pulisic without wishing that he himself was blessed with that extra gear of speed.

They say speed kills, so you should have no illusions that speed isn’t a deadly weapon in football. Speed is so important that many observers have claimed that Kylian Mbappe has already surpassed Neymar despite not having the same quiver of dribbling, passing, and shooting skills that make the Brazilian truly a grandmaster. Mbappe’s speed hypnotizes people into believing that he is a better player than Neymar which isn’t the case. In an interview with Alexis Nunes of ESPN, the Jamaican footballer, Leon Bailey said that Neymar was the only player close to Ronaldinho in terms of technical ability and magic with the ball. He could have said Lionel Messi, but he didn’t. That tells you just how magical Neymar is.

The increased media attention on Pulisic now that he’s at Chelsea in many ways demonstrates a certain degree of bias and ignorance amongst the media and fans. Pulisic was already playing for Borussia Dortmund, which is arguably the second biggest club in Germany and in the Bundesliga, so Pulisic was already a proven commodity at the highest level. German football is better than English football, and Germany as a country has four World Cup titles. To argue that Pulisic is only now playing under the spotlight or at the highest level is simply demonstrably untrue.

We’ll see how Pulisic performs for Chelsea and how much he plays. He looked sharp, electric, direct, and aggressive in his first game for Chelsea. Although last season at Dortmund, his playing time was down from the previous year, Chelsea’s players might not be at the same level as Dortmund’s. German football is very technical and elite, and it’s hard to argue that the Premier League showcases the same degree of technical skill and ability.

One thing is for certain, and that is that Pulisic is easily the best American player any of us has ever seen. No other American was able to attack top defenders and blow past them like Pulisic has done, and in addition to his individual 1v1 ability and speed, he has a great football mind who reads the game quickly and plays creative one-to-two touch football.

 

Christian Pulisic Makes History with Chelsea as the Most High Profile American Soccer Signing Ever

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Today Chelsea bought Christian Pulisic for $73 million. It was the biggest and most expensive signing of an American soccer player ever.

Even Clint Dempsey never played for that big of a club or was signed for that much money. It’s worth mentioning that Michael Bradley played for AS Roma, and that club and the level of their play is comparable to Chelsea. Bradley wasn’t signed for anywhere close to that kind of money though. Nevertheless, Bradley playing for a big Serie A club known for attacking soccer was a huge milestone for American soccer.

Based on Pulisic’s skill level combined with his speed and his past performances in the Bundesliga, the Champions League, and for the United States, the American forward/midfielder is arguably worth the money. In contrast to Dempsey, Pulisic is much faster and quicker, and these extra gears of speed and quickness make him more of an attacking threat against elite competition. Dempsey wasn’t slow by any means, but he definitely lacked the speed to blow past top defenders. We’ll see if Pulisic has the same longevity, fire, skill, and toughness as Dempsey.

As an attacking player, Pulisic doesn’t have any real weaknesses. He’s skilled with both feet in his dribbling, passing, and shooting, plus he’s creative and flashy in his playing style. He’s also very direct and bold, which is rare for an American player. Many people have praised Pulisic for his maturity and mentality, and those are two more qualities that will help him out.  Given the amount of social media commentary on the Premier League, Pulisic would be wise to take the Kobe Bryant approach and not read anything said or written about him on social media or in the press.

The American has his work really cut out for him in seeing playing time for Chelsea next season because he will likely be competing for playing time with Willian, who is nothing short of a world-class midfielder and forward. The Brazilian smokes defenders off the dribble, and he’s a pass master. Let’s not forget that Willian normally starts for Brazil. Out of everything in world football, starting for Brazil has to be one of the strongest proofs of a player’s quality and class.

Pulisic’s biggest giant to slay will be what the fans and media say and write about him because this could mess with his confidence if he pays attention to it. From a playing standpoint, Pulisic has demonstrated that he plays well against elite competition, and he’s a goalscorer and assist man. As this author wrote before Pulisic played for the United States, once you have played a home game at Borussia Dortmund in front of their huge crowd, then you are already prepared to play anywhere else.

Chelsea is a bigger brand than Dortmund, but Pulisic won’t find the crowd or pressure any more daunting than at Dortmund. The real demons are the ones on the internet. Beppe Severgnini once wrote that “In the Coliseum there were lions, but in San Siro there are TV cameras.” The same analogy applies here where these virtual monsters are maybe as scary as real predators.