One former Chelsea player has been explaining why he no longer suffers with fitness issues at his new club, after being one of the most injury prone players when he was at Chelsea.
As we well know, Chelsea are still continuing to suffer with an unprecedented amount of injuries over recent seasons, and this season once again has been particularly bad. It’s actually shocking the amount of injuries Chelsea have had this season, and fans are searching for someone or a group to be accountable. You can understand why.
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Christian Pulisic was always injured and struggling with his fitness when he was at Chelsea, but since joining AC Milan he has been thriving not only on the pitch, but also with a sheer lack of injuries.
However, Pulisic has just simply put that down to getting a regular run of games, which is quite a surprising response really even though it does actually make sense. Maybe there’s more to it than that? But who knows I guess….
Pulisic explains why he's fitter now than last season at Chelsea:
"I wouldn't say there's been a big change, or something that I've done. I've taken good care of my body for sure. But it's just been good to get that consistent game time.
Your body just kind of gets accustomed… pic.twitter.com/7LQBDti5gg
— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) March 27, 2024
My son plays for a former pro and he talks about how match fitness comes from playing matches—not training. This is because you can never simulate the same duration of intense exertion in training as you are going to get in a match (and to do so isn’t necessarily in the best interest of the players needing recovery time). Thus, Pulisic’s response makes a certain amount of sense.
It’s a shame really. Chelsea never really showed him the faith and confidence he’s received since Day 1 at Milan. And as a result Chelsea never reaped the rewards of his obvious talent. It was maddening as a lifelong Chelsea supporter and an American to watch the fans (including the likes of SuperFrank) start to turn on Pulisic in his final 18 months. They really started act like it was his own fault he was injured so frequently and then, after battling back, he was never given a run of games to get his timing and confidence back. He’d get the odd spot start or be played out of position at wingback and everyone would thrown up their hands in disgust if he didn’t immediately produce. And now look at what we’ve missed out on! He’s been loads better this year than, say, Raheem Sterling, but one is English and the other American. One gets the benefit of the doubt everyday of the week and twice on Sunday while the other gets sold.