Soccer World Reacts To Today's Christian Pulisic Decision
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 23: Christian Pulisic of FC Chelsea controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League group H match between AFC Ajax and Chelsea FC at Amsterdam Arena on October 23, 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic has been a pivotal player for Chelsea on its run to the UEFA Champions League final. Manager Thomas Tuchel left him out of Saturday's starting lineup, though.
Tuchel's decision has been met with heavy criticism. Pulisic, after all, chipped in a goal and assist in Chelsea's series against Real Madrid.
While Pulisic may not play at all during Saturday's first period, Tuchel will bring him off the bench in the second. Inserting such a strong offensive player in the last 45 minutes could give Chelsea the lift it needs to take down Manchester City.
“Tough choice to leave him out, but very strong from the bench,” Tuchel said of Pulisic, via Sporting News. “I have to choose from 23 [players] a starting XI, but we need 15 or 16 [players] to finish this game, hopefully in a positive way. I hope we start strong and we finish stronger."
Tuchel's strategy has often been criticized, but it's been good enough to get Chelsea to Saturday's final.
Regardless, soccer fans - particularly those located in the United States - aren't happy with the decision to leave Pulisic out of the starting lineup.
Haven't we seen enough from Christian Pulisic for him to earn a spot in the starting lineup? He's only proved his tremendous worth up to this point.
The 22-year-old is already a star and has brought soccer fans in the United States back to life. Hopefully, Thomas Tuchel's decision doesn't come back to haunt him.
Chelsea has a 1-0 lead over Manchester City at the half of the UEFA Champions League final. We're getting closer to seeing Pulisic take the field for what should be a thrilling second period.
