Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has disclosed his preferred position and discussed his lack of playing time ahead of the FA Cup final on Saturday. The American and his teammates will be hoping they will be making the long walk up the famous Wembley steps to lift England’s oldest trophy, avoiding a repeat of previous encounters.
That’s because the last two FA Cup finals have both ended in defeat for the Blues, while the Carabao Cup final earlier this year saw them edged out by their opponents Liverpool on penalties. Despite having the chance at revenge, Thomas Tuchel has played down such talk.
“We want to turn things around. It will not give us the Carabao Cup title back, but we are here and were here last season in the FA Cup final and that means an unbelievable lot to us.”
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Heading into the game, the German coach will have a number of decisions to make, including the forward line he decides to opt for. Among those options is Pulisic, who has struggled for consistent game time this season, but has been a game-changer when it matters.
The 23-year-old has made 34 appearances this season, scoring eight and assisting five so far. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the USMNT international has admitted that his sporadic minutes have been tough, but has also told Tuchel where he would prefer to play.
“I feel most comfortable in a more attacking role, mainly coming from the left side, as a left winger or inverted winger on the left side. There has been a lot of change this season and I’ve been all over the place a bit. That’s what happens, I guess, when you have a very deep squad.
“Of course, I want to be on the pitch and recently with the limited time I’ve had I’ve been trying to make as big an impact as I can to prove I should be out on the pitch. Sometimes that’s how it goes. I enjoy this club a lot and I’m going to give it everything and hope I can get more opportunities to get out on the pitch and help the team.”
It remains to be seen if Pulisic can grab a first-team shirt and hold onto it, however turning up in the big moments, such as the FA Cup final on Saturday, could go a long way to earning that opportunity.
