Chelsea's Pulisic sheds light on Blues struggles amid national team expectations

Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has not had the spell at Stamford Bridge that many would have hoped then the American star left Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund for west London in the summer of 2019 after completing a highly-anticipated £53million move.

That is not a criticism either, but an unfortunate fact as one of the most highly-touted United States internationals to ever turn professional has not left the same footprint on English shores that he did in Germany.

Pulisic recently opened up to the media regarding his struggles at Chelsea as the Pennsylvania-native is in the USMNT camp for a crucial World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador, Canada, and Honduras (starting on Thursday), admitting to how tough the current 2021-22 Premier League season has been for him.

“It is tough. I haven’t always been playing in the positions I want to play in. But I think it is a good quality to be versatile and able to play in all kinds of positions and have different strengths on the pitch. I’ve learned a lot and I’m ready to hopefully be in a spot over the next few games that I’m more comfortable in.”

International responsibilities remain the same despite Chelsea struggles

Despite Pulisic starting six of the club’s last-eight league fixtures, the American star is hardly viewed as a vital piece of the puzzle under Thomas Tuchel while having hardly found the same influential form that earned him a move to the Premier League in the first place.

ORLANDO, FL – OCTOBER 06: Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States reacts after scoring a goal during the final round qualifying match against Panama for the 2018 FIFA World Cup at Orlando City Stadium on October 6, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

But despite that, the pressure placed on his shoulders when it comes to the on-pitch fortunes of his country remains considerable. Pulisic, however, does not back away from them and continues to be focused on the task at hand when away from Chelsea irrespective of any struggles.

“It doesn’t affect me too much coming into U.S. camps. I am ready when I come in here and to do whatever I can to come to help this team so I’m not thinking about that. Obviously, it has been up and down this year, for sure. Not exactly where I want to be and how I want things to be right now. I’m just going to keep going and it doesn’t affect me when I come here. So I am excited to be here.”

“When I come to the national team it is ‘How are things with Chelsea?’ and ‘What’s this’ and ‘What’s that.’ It’s tough. Mentally it has played on me at times but I am always very excited to be on the national team and get to enjoy playing with these guys and just enjoy football in general.”

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