1) Pulisic pulls off a disappearing act
Expectations were high when Chelsea’s executives shook hands on the £58m deal that brought the much sought-after signature of Christian Pulisic, the man who the club’s director, Marina Granovskaia, hoped would “become an important player for many years to come”. Three years and 95 Chelsea appearances later, the American is yet to match that description and has too rarely given the impression that he might ever do so. At Manchester City he was a non-presence, seeing little of the ball and doing nothing with it when he did. City are about as tough as opponents come but big money demands to be repaid on big occasions. Pulisic has the talent and temperament to deliver in such fixtures – his elegant goal against Liverpool this month was proof of that – but too often he seems content to exist on the periphery of matches rather than bend them to his will. At 23, time is on his side – though the Chelsea hierarchy are not exactly known for their patience. Alex Hess
