It's a big weekend ahead for Chelsea, as they have the opportunity to turn their season around by winning the League Cup Final.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are undoubtedly underdogs against Jürgen Klopp's seemingly unstoppable Liverpool, but with the Blues' recent form, you never know.
Had the west Londoners been just that little bit more clinical last weekend, they could have come away from the Etihad with all three points.
Competition
Opponent
Result
Premier League
Liverpool
4-1 Loss
Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers
4-2 Loss
FA Cup
Aston Villa
3-1 Win
Premier League
Crystal Palace
3-1 Win
Premier League
Manchester City
1-1 Draw
How close they were to beating Manchester City might still be playing on the minds of Todd Boehly and Co, especially as a player they sold at a loss last summer has been outperforming one of their new star attackers, Nicolas Jackson.
Christian Pulisic's bright start at Chelsea
Yes, the player in question is none other than Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic.
The American star signed for Chelsea in January 2019 while playing for German giants Borussia Dortmund. The fee was around £58m, and the then-20-year-old was loaned back to die Schwarzgelben for the rest of the season and finally joined up with his new teammates in the summer.
There was a lot of excitement and buzz around the winger's arrival, as he had made 127 appearances for the Bundesliga giants, scored 19 goals and provided 26 assists, all before he was 21.
Usually, signing a youngster with so much hype and buzz around them can lead to a disappointing debut season in the Premier League, but Pulisic managed to do better in his first season for the Blues than he did in his final season with Dortmund.
In 34 games, the young "magician", as described by sports writer Al Butler, managed to score 11 goals and provide ten assists, compared to the seven goals and six assists he managed in 30 games in the 2018/19 campaign.
Not only was the young American impressive in the league, but he also managed to score in the team's ill-fated FA Cup final against cross-city rivals Arsenal before going off injured in the 49th minute, which, upon reflection, was a sign of things to come.
Christian Pulisic's injury problems
Now, Chelsea, like most clubs, will do their due diligence on a player before they spend masses of money on them – unless you're Newcastle United, that is – and so they would have been well aware of Pulisic's injury problems in Germany.
Between the 2015/16 and 2018/19 seasons, the Hershey-born dynamo missed a total of 23 games for club and country through injury – or about 112 days – and while that's certainly not ideal for such a young player, it's also not severe enough to derail a potential transfer.
However, once at Chelsea, what was a minor concern developed into a full-blown nightmare. In his first campaign, he missed 17 games for club and country through various injuries; however, due to the coronavirus and subsequent lockdowns, it didn't disrupt his season anywhere near as much as it could have.
Unfortunately for the 5 foot 10 whizz, his next three seasons would be constantly interrupted by a myriad of injuries and illnesses that made it nearly impossible for him to stake a serious claim for a spot in the first team.
For example, in his second season, he missed 16 games for club and country; in 2021/22, he missed 19; and last year, he missed 13 games through a knee injury.
In all, the American international would miss 65 games for club and country in just four seasons of being a Chelsea player, which equates to about 16 per campaign, making his mediocre return of 26 goals and 21 assists in 145 appearances for the Blues easier to understand.
Games Missed
Days Missed
17
172
16
111
19
71
13
59
Ultimately, after four injury-riddled years, he was sold to AC Milan for around £20m last summer, about £38m less than what Chelsea paid in 2019.
Christian Pulisic this season
Sometimes a change of scenery can do you a world of good – or so they say – and that certainly seems to be the case for Pulisic, as since moving to Italy, he has looked back to his very best and, as things stand anyway, his injuries, while still present, are less of an issue.
He's missed just six games for club and country this season and has been relatively fit since late November.
On the pitch, he has been getting a good number of minutes – 2307 to be exact – has scored eight goals, provided seven assists from both wings and is well-liked by manager Stefano Pioli, who said of the 25-year-old, "Christian is a great player. A great player because he has quality, intensity and willingness."
It's clear that life is good with the Rossoneri for the American, but it makes you think that with Pochettino on the sidelines, he could have been more effective than Jackson in west London this year.
The Senegalese international is naturally a striker, yes, but in recent weeks, the Argentine has deployed his young forward out on the left wing three times, while Pulisic has played there five times himself in Italy.
Moreover, while the former Villarreal man has scored nine goals this campaign – one more than the former Chelsea man – his return of just three assists is dwarfed by Pulisic's seven.
Lastly, when comparing the pair's underlying numbers, there is only one winner, and it's not the man in blue.
Pulisic
Jackson
0.21
0.62
0.38
0.38
0.18
0.15
0.32
0.16
2.81
2.20
4.22
1.87
47.2%
43.8%
0.41
0.33
2.82
2.75
0.70
0.39
In almost every metric, the American comes out ahead, and the one where he doesn't, expected goals, only makes his case more robust, as the pair have the same number of actual goals per 90, despite Jackson's expected value being so much higher, which shows how profligate he has been in West London.
Other stats, such as the pair's progressive passes, progressive carries, shot-creating and goal-creating actions, also highlight how much more of an attacking threat the former Dortmund gem is compared to Chelsea's young striker.
Ultimately, the sale of Pulisic last summer felt like it had to happen for the good of all parties involved.
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Still, there will always be a question of whether Pochettino could have coached the American back to his best, especially as Jackson continues to underwhelm in his first season at Stamford Bridge.