Reinvigorated Pulisic coming out of his shell to fire Chelsea to top-four finish

Nizaar Kinsella

Reinvigorated Pulisic coming out of his shell to fire Chelsea to top-four finish image

Lock elite footballers in their houses for three months, and the ways in which they will spend their unplanned downtime will vary.

From playing hour upon hour of video games to spending every waking moment in their quickly-assembled home gyms, the game's biggest names were no different to the rest of society when it came to ensuring boredom did not set in during lockdown. 

For Chelsea star Christian Pulisic, the time away from the pitch allowed him the opportunity to boost his social media profile, with the United States international becoming a must-follow account for football fans on TikTok.

Having returned to his hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania, Pulisic posted a series of videos that ranged from dance routines to comedy sketches to freestyle football clips.

"I’ve got on TikTok to help pass the day," Pulisic said upon his return to Chelsea's Cobham training ground in May. "I’ve always liked dancing and doing fun things, other things aside from the game.

"I know some people might not like this sort of stuff but I really don’t care because I’m going to carry on doing it anyway!

"I think it gives people a chance to see me a little better. No one really knows who I am, they just see me as a footballer, so hopefully, it gives them a little insight into my character."

The break from football and chance to unwind back in the U.S. has obviously done Pulisic the world of good.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund star has been Chelsea's standout performer since English football returned almost a fortnight ago, with goals against Aston Villa and Manchester City helping the Blues to key victories in their pursuit of a top-four finish in the Premier League.

In the FA Cup, meanwhile, he was one of very few Chelsea players to come out of their underwhelming 1-0 win over Leicester City with any credit.

The 21-year-old was the only visiting player to muster a first-half shot at the King Power Stadium while he twice won free-kicks high up the field during periods when Brendan Rodgers' side were beginning to build up some pressure.

Given Pulisic's last appearance pre-lockdown came on New Year's Day due to a torn adductor muscle, the speed in which he has rediscovered his best form is hugely encouraging for Lampard.

"I think he can be a really big player," Lampard told reporters ahead of the Leicester clash. "Because he broke through so young in Germany and he moves to us, people's expectations rise, but we have to take his age into consideration.

"There's no doubt in his quality and you can see that. He is very keen to work and improve. He is particularly hungry at the minute because of his injury.

"And if he wants to learn, he needs to look at the players he sees around him who have made that sort of jump like Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, who are now producing numbers [of goals] from wide areas.

"It is important that he understands the work he needs to do to do that, because he definitely has the talent to do it. He needs to try and get to that level and I am delighted to have him at the minute."

Lampard on Pulisic GFX

For context, Sterling, Mane and Salah have a combined 44 Premier League goals between them this season. Pulisic has seven, albeit from just 18 total appearances, and while that may seem a modest return, it is enough to make him the league's top scorer among players aged 21 or under.

With an eighth goal scored in the Champions League, this is also already Pulisic's best ever campaign in terms of goals.

He clearly, however, still has some way to go to challenge his fellow wide forwards for the Golden Boot. But the variety in the two goals he has scored since lockdown should give Lampard hope that he has a player on his hands who can match the output of those at Manchester City and Liverpool.

His first against Villa was classic Pulisic. Moments after being introduced as a substitute, he ghosted in at the back post to steer Cesar Azpilicueta's searching cross into the roof of the net from close range.

Pulisic has netted 40 per cent of the goals Chelsea have scored from inside the the six-yard box this season; he clearly understands his role when the ball is on the opposite side of the field in attacking areas.

His strike against City, however, could not have been more different.

Having taken advantage of a mix-up between Benjamin Mendy and Ilkay Gundogan on the halfway line, Pulisic carried the ball forward around 30 yards before expertly curling a shot past the on-rushing Ederson and into the bottom corner.

Christian Pulisic Chelsea 2019-20

Of his 19 goals for Dortmund, only one, against Werder Bremen in May 2019, bears any resemblance to last Thursday evening's strike, and it is clear from such goals that his confidence levels are beginning to grow.

Since football returned, Pulisic averages 3.7 shots per game compared to 3.1 beforehand. Of those efforts, 2.3 per 90 minutes have been on target through June compared to 1.1 earlier in the campaign.

Of course the sample size of the past two weeks is much smaller, but the signs are that Pulisic is heeding his manager's words ahead of increased competition arriving over the summer.

Both Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have experience of playing off the left-hand side, and as such Pulisic faces a fight to hold down a regular starting berth heading into 2020-21.

But if he can carry on his good start to post-shutdown football between now and the end of the season, then dropping him will become more and more difficult for Lampard as he searches for his own goalscoring wide man.

Nizaar Kinsella

Nizaar Kinsella Photo

Nizaar Kinsella is a Chelsea correspondent with experience covering international football at the World Cup and European Championships. He is a trusted voice within the Chelsea community, attending almost every game and having spent many years doing so. Coverage on Goal.com has seen him invited onto CNN, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport and BeINSports to comment on the turbulent world of the Stamford Bridge club. He previously worked for the Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as a period working in the UK charity sector.