Tonight saw Christian Pulisic accomplish yet another game in which he either scored, assisted or won a penalty that set up a goal. The American wing player was the helper on Olivier Giroud’s scoring strike, the only goal in a very dull match that saw Chelsea defeat Norwich City 1-0.
The match also provided a chance for Pulisic to reunite with one of his former coaches in Daniel Farke. The German, now head man at Norwich, knows Pulisic well from his days in charge of Borussia Dortmund II from 2015-17. Farke, as much as almost anyone, has had a close-up view of Pulisic’s growth and development over the years.
Pulisic has been as stellar and productive as any Premier League footballer since the restart, often drawing comparisons to former Chelsea star Eden Hazard.
Farke and Pulisic had a chance to catch up, albeit briefly, after the match, with the Canaries boss saying Pulisic is “top class” right now, and on the path to becoming “world class.” Hard to disagree with that assessment right now.
“Chelsea spent 60 million pounds or something like this, of course I know him out of my time with Borussia Dortmund,” Farke said.
“He’s a brilliant lad. Always humble. Always with both feet on the ground. Always works unbelievably hard on the pitch. A player full of potential.”
“He will have a bright future and it was a lot of money [to spend on him] but he is definitely worth each and every pound because he’s a top class player. He proved that today with a great cross and I would have preferred he was not able to find Giroud, who in this moment is still a top class striker.”
“Christian will have a bright future and will be a world-class player one day and this is the best way to develop in this direction.”
“Sadly there wasn’t much time at the final whistle to speak with all of them, just a few words. It is always great to see lads like Christian again. I wish him all the best for the future and I think he will have a bright future.”
It’s just too bad for Farke that he won’t get to see Pulisic develop more in person next season, as Norwich have been relegated for next term.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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