Chelsea ace Christian Pulisic has sensationally revealed he was left “dumbfounded” by the antics of Thomas Tuchel and had a history of ignoring the recently axed Blues boss.
Just six days after the closing of the summer transfer window, and having spent over £250million on the likes of Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Tuchel, 49, was bizarrely axed as manager of the Stamford Bridge outfit, ending his 19-month stint in west London.
Succeeding Chelsea legend Frank Lampard in the hot seat, the German gaffer brought immediate success by claiming the Blues’ second-ever Champions League crown, defeating Premier League rivals Manchester City 1-0 to claim the famous old ears trophy.
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And while Kai Havertz will forever be remembered in Chelsea folklore for his 42nd-minute winner, latching onto Mason Mount’s delicious through ball, rounding Ederson and slotting home, the goal is a bittersweet memory for Christian Pulisic.
The American winger, signed by Lampard for £58million in 2019, excelled in the semi-final first leg against Real Madrid and was rested against Fulham in order to be ready for the return fixture in west London but was brutally snubbed at the last minute by Tuchel.
“What happened before that game was hugely disappointing for me,’ Pulisic said in his upcoming autography ‘Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far’, via the Daily Mail.
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“I’d had a really good first leg performance and our following match was against Fulham in the league. Tuchel told me that he was resting me for the second leg and as a result, I didn’t play a single minute in the Fulham game.
“Then on match day of the second semi, Tuchel tells me he’s changed his mind and he’s going with Kai [Havertz]. I honestly was dumbfounded and very disappointed.
“I thought that I’d earned a start and, most importantly, he had assured me previously I was going to start. So by the time he brought me on with about 25 minutes left, I was just so wound up.”
Chelsea managed to seal a 2-0 victory on home soil with Pulisic’s replacement Kai Havertz playing a key part in the Blues’ opening goal. Played through by N’Golo Kante, the German international tried to dink former Stamford Bridge hero Thibaut Courtois but saw his effort cannon back off the crossbar.
Thankfully though the ball fell straight to compatriot Timo Werner on the goal line, who applied the easiest of headers to hand the home side a one-goal lead. Following a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu the previous week, courtesy of Pulisic’s dazzling feet inside the area, Chelsea eased into the final with a 3-1 aggregate scoreline.
But they wouldn’t have gotten off to the perfect start had Pulisic not flagrantly ignored Tuchel’s instructions. The American continued: “The untold story behind that goal is that when [Antonio] Rüdiger has the ball, I can see he’s looking to play it long over the top and I started my run to get in behind the Madrid backline.
“But as I take off on the run, I hear Thomas Tuchel yelling from the sideline, “Christian, stay in the pocket, don’t make the run!” But I just had the feeling I’d find the space and get on the end of the pass, so I continued the run.
“I cut across the front of Nacho and behind [Raphaël] Varane. When I got the ball I thought I was going to have to shoot straight away.
“But then I realised that I had far more time than I thought I would have because Nacho had run to cover the goal line and Varane was more concerned about marking the arrival into the box of Werner. So I thought that I would create a better angle for myself by rounding Courtois and then being able to pick my spot.”
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