‘Dumbfounded and disappointed’ – Pulisic slams Tuchel over snubbing and reveals he scored after ignoring ex-Chelsea boss
CHRISTIAN PULISIC has taken aim at his former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
The American forward’s dad liked a tweet ripping into the German coach amid speculation over his son’s future as tension between the pair mounted towards the end of the transfer window.
The 24-year-old star struggled for regular match action under Tuchel, who was sacked a fortnight ago by the Blues.
Pulisic scored in last year’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid to earn Chelsea a 1-1 draw in Spain.
However, he was named on the bench for the return leg at Stamford Bridge, a decision that he says left him “dumbfounded and very disappointed” after he had been promised that he would start.
Pulisic, who would go on to win the competition with the Blues that season, wrote in his upcoming book ‘Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far’: “What happened before that game was hugely disappointing for me.
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“l’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.”
Pulisic previously worked with Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund but was continually linked with a move away from Chelsea due to a lack of action during their time together in West London.
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And adding further insight into their strained relationship, he also revealed how his goal against Madrid came after he ignored Tuchel’s instructions.
He added: “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.”
Pulisic will now be hoping for better luck and a run of games under new boss Graham Potter after a transfer move failed to materialise over the summer.